Old Flame
by bite-me-im-irish
Summary: Aria gets sent away to an all-girls boarding school and is forced to leave everything she knows  and loves  behind. When she starts senior year she finally decides to move on but how can she when there's a new, very familiar English teacher in town?
1. We Are Golden

**My first PLL multi-chapter fic. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it!**

**Sadly, I don't own PLL. If I did, there would be a lot more Ezria.**

**Also, just so you know, the girls know nothing about Ezra and Aria!**

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><p>"<em>We are not what you think we are;<br>we are golden, we are golden."_

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><p>I could hear my parents talking in hushed voices in the kitchen as I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. It was Saturday morning and I was heading to Ezra's for our weekly coffee date.<p>

"I'll be back in a few hours," I called to them, not wanting to interrupt whatever it was they were debating now.

The voices cut off just as I was opening the front door.

"Where are you going, Aria?" My mom asked as she practically ran from the kitchen to meet me.

"Spencer's," I told her, ready to recite one of my well-practiced alibis.

"This early?" she questioned, "Isn't Spencer a late sleeper?"

"She's tutoring me in French," I lied, edging closer to the door.

"Oh, okay," My mom replied, "Do you need a ride there?"

"No, mom, I can walk. Besides," I said, "Don't you have that meeting with Mike's lacrosse coach?"

"Yeah, you're right," she admitted, "What time will you be back at, maybe we could go shopping?" I could feel my eyes bugging out of my head. Why was she being so pushy?

"I don't know, Mom." I hated lying to her. "I have a test this week and I'm totally behind. I'll ring if there's a change of plan, 'kay?"

"Okay, Sweetie." My mom smiled and stepped back, "See you later."

"Bye, Mom, love you," I said, heading out of the house at last and walking down the drive. I could feel her eyes on me and knew I'd have to walk the long way around by Spencer's.

As soon as I was out of her line of sight, I whipped out my phone and sent Ezra a text.

**Sorry, going to be late. It was like the Spanish Inquisition back there. Walking the long way. Love you. XO Aria**

I passed Spencer's house and felt a pang of guilt for lying to my mom. I loved Ezra, more than I knew how to express, but sometimes I wished that being in a relationship with him was not so complicated. Actually, no, scratch that, I _always _wished that being in a relationship with him wasn't so complicated.

My phone buzzed and my heart fluttered. I wondered if the day would ever come when a single text from him didn't give me heart palpitations.

**Okay, don't be too long. I made pancakes. Ezra**

I grinned at the thought of him covered in eggs and flour and quickened my pace, eager to see what sort of state he was bound to be in.

I arrived at his apartment in record time and he buzzed me up. I nearly split my sides laughing when he opened the door with a goofy smile. He had even managed to get flour on his forehead and there was butter smeared on his cheek.

"Good morning!" He chirped, stepping aside to let me in. He leant down to give me a kiss, making me duck. No chance was he getting near me with that amount of flour on his body.

"I'll go change," he said, his lip quirking up to reveal that smile that I loved so much, "Can you finish the pancakes?"

He disappeared into the bathroom while I was left to tackle the mess he had made of the kitchen.

Ezra arrived back a few minutes later while I was scooping the last pancakes off the pan.

"I like seeing you cook in my kitchen," he told me, pulling out the Nutella and, to my surprise, a fresh punnet of strawberries.

"Are you insinuating that the woman's place is in the kitchen, Mr Fitz?" I teased, putting my hands on my hips as I feigned offence.

"Not at all, Miss Montgomery," he said, playing along and putting on his best teacher voice, "I was merely suggesting that my kitchen is a place which is very becoming to you and that I would like to see you in it more often."

We both dissolved into laughter and this time when Ezra leaned in to kiss me, I let him. I sighed against him and our tongues touched for the briefest of moments before he pulled back and grinned down at me, "Breakfast?" he suggested, already leading me towards my seat.

"Mmm..." I agreed, still slightly dazed from his kiss, "But I think I know what I'd rather be having." Ezra laughed as he set the food on his small table before me.

"I can't believe you just said that," he said, still chuckling. He poured the coffee and took a seat opposite me. These were the moments that I loved the most, when it was just me and him, having a meal with our worries and cares locked outside the apartment. It almost felt like we were a normal couple.

"Any reason for the grand breakfast?" I inquired, taking a sip of my coffee. Lashings of milk and two sugars, just the way I liked it.

"Can't a guy do something nice for his girlfriend once in a while?" he asked, mock offence in his voice. It always made my heart swell when he called me his girlfriend.

"Just wanted to hear me say 'wow'?" I asked, taking a bite of my pancakes.

He smiled, "Exactly."

"Wow," I exclaimed, the second I swallowed the delicious pancake. We laughed and he ate the rest of his breakfast with a smile on his face.

...

We spent the rest of the morning lounging around on his sofa and watching re-runs of 'The Golden Girls' with a few stolen kisses now and then.

At twenty to three I figured it was time to leave and get back to my mom. I had decided to take her up on the shopping trip and told her that I'd meet her outside the picture house at three.

"Do you really have to go?" Ezra whined, making me roll my eyes as I pulled on my jacket and gathered my things.

"Yeah," I told him for the fifteenth time in the last five minutes, "I really do."

He walked me to the door, his hand on the small of my back, but before I could open it he span he around, grabbed the back of my head and crushed his lips against mine. My gasp allowed granted him access into my mouth and Ezra took full advantage, sweeping his tongue inside to tangle with mine. He backed me up against the door while his tongue and lips did their best to work me into a puddle.

He pulled away a few minutes later and leaned his forehead against mine as we both struggled to catch our breaths.

"Sure you have to go?" he asked again and I giggled.

"Yes, I'm sure," I told him, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes.

"Damn, I was really hoping that would convince you." He smiled his breathtaking, eye-crinkling smile again and I couldn't stop myself from reaching up and kissing him softly.

"I love you," I told him as I pulled away and turned to open the door.

"I love you, too," he said.

I turned to smile at him but was met by his lips once more. I laughed as I pulled away and stepped through the door.

"See you later," I told him, before practically skipping down the stairs leading me away from apartment 3-B.

I guess I should have seen it coming. The signs had all been there.

I stepped out onto the sidewalk with a huge grin on my face and turned to start walking to the picture house. My phone buzzed. My heart fluttered.

**Sure you have to go? ;) Ezra**

Shaking my head, I went to text him back when a car across the street caught my eye. My phone slipped from between my fingers and tumbled to the ground as I stared at my mother sitting at the wheel with fire in her eyes.

I blinked a few times, making sure that this nightmare was actually happening.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

After a few minutes, I picked up my phone and forced my legs to cooperate as I made my way to the car. My mom didn't say anything as I slid into the passenger seat or as she pulled out into the road. The silence was deafening.

Briefly, I considered saying that I was only dropping something off to Mr Fitz, but she was my mother and she'd seen enough. It was time to start being honest.

"Mom," I said, breaking the uneasy silence that had settled around us, "I can explain."

She didn't reply.

"Where are we going?" I asked. Our house was the opposite direction and I highly doubted shopping was still on the agenda. Again, she didn't answer. She didn't need to. A second later, we arrived at the police station.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think? Should I continue? Please, review - don't make me set A on you.<strong>

**Katie x**


	2. Hiding My Heart

**Well, here we are, chapter two :) Thank you for all the wonderful reviews last chapter, I'm glad you like the story so far!**

**I'm going to be updating every 2/3 days so keep 'em peeled! **

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><p>"<em>But, like everything I've ever known, you'll disappear one day.<br>So, I'll spend my whole life hiding my heart away."_

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><p>"Mom," I gasped, "No, Mom, you don't understand!"<p>

She pulled over just short of the police station and killed the ignition. The only sound was my laboured breathing.

"Aria," she began. She didn't look at me but kept her gaze focused on the steering wheel. She was clutching it so hard that her knuckles were drawn white. "How long has this been going on for?"

"Since the day we got back from Iceland," I told her, watching as her grip on the steering wheel became impossibly tighter, "But, Mom, I swear it's not what it looks like."

"What is it then, Aria? Because from what I can gather it looks like Mr Fitz is having an affair with a minor, his _student, m_y _daughter._"

"Okay, that part is right," I amended, "But he didn't know that when I met him. He wasn't my teacher then!" I grabbed her hand, willing her to understand. The tears filled my eyes without warning. "I know it doesn't look right, Mom, but I _swear_ he never forced me into anything. If anything, it was the other way around."

Finally, she looked at me. We sat there for a long time, watching each other, and I thought she was finally coming around when she let go of the steering wheel and flexed her fingers.

When she didn't speak I took her hand in mine.

"No, Aria," She said suddenly, her voice loud and furious as she took her hand back, "It's wrong. He's your teacher for Christ's sake! You don't have to protect him." She unbuckled her belt and reached for the door. I lunged across her and stilled her hand. "Aria," she said, "Stop it."

"Please, just hear me out," I begged, "Please." I don't know whether it was my tears or my desperation or her own unwillingness to accept that I was seeing Ezra, or maybe it was a mixture of all three, that made her sit back in her seat and listen but whatever it was I thanked every God I knew for it.

"Mom, I love him," I began, "And I know you probably think I'm being naive but I really do. And he loves me too, I know he does. We tried to stay apart when we found out he was my teacher, he even ran away to New York, but we couldn't. And, I swear to you that we haven't done anything but kiss." I watched her face carefully, trying to gauge her reaction. There were tears in her eyes. "Mom?"

"I'm sorry, Aria, but no matter what you say it doesn't change the fact that this is wrong. It's illegal. He's got you convinced that this is right. What did he promise you to get you to do this?"

"Mom, please, you've got it all wrong! Please don't do this," I begged, the tears were falling freely now, "If you love me at all you won't go to the police."

"Aria, it's _because_ I love you that I'm going to the police," she told me, "You're still my little girl."

She reached for the door once more and I broke down completely.

"Please!" I screamed, "Send me away! Do anything! Send me to a convent for all I care, just don't hurt him!" My chest was heaving and my voice was going but I didn't care because my heart was breaking. "Please," I whispered.

My mom had one foot out the door and turned to look at me once more. She sighed before shutting it again and starting the engine.

"Thank you," I breathed as I collapsed back into my seat, "I love you, Mom."

Once again, she didn't respond. I figured she was trying to stop herself from turning around and I kept silent for the remainder of the journey, except for the occasional sniff.

...

Just as we were pulling into the drive, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out.

**Better get packing, bitch. Don't forget to write. XO –A**

My mom held out her hand for my phone and the tears started again. I shut it off and dropped it into her hand. I wouldn't even get the chance to tell him.

Following her into the house, I thought back to this morning and how we didn't have a care in the world, locked up as we were, alone in his apartment hiding from the world outside. I thought it would last forever.

My bags were already packed when I stepped through the doors. My Dad and Mike were standing beside them.

"Mom?" I asked, my voice quiet. Were they kicking me out?

"There's a school, baby," she told me, "In West Virginia." My mouth fell open. They had been planning this. They were always going to send me away.

"How long have you known about us?" I suddenly felt very foolish.

"A while," My Dad answered, his voice cold. He was disappointed. _Hypocrite_. "Ella, what did the police say?"

"We didn't go," she told him, but I was barely listening, it felt like my whole world was falling apart. Maybe it was.

I could hear them yelling at each other and could feel Mike's accusing glare but it all felt so far away. I'd never get to see Ezra again. And I wouldn't even get to say goodbye.

"Who told you?" I blurted out, silencing their feud. I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

My mom reached into her bag and pulled out an A4 page. She handed it to me without a word.

I took a deep breath before looking down at the sheet. The page was made up of a montage of pictures featuring me and Ezra, all taken from behind bushes or cars or through windows and doorways. I could barely breathe as I looked at all of the pictures and realised how careless we had been. They even had the picture of us with the paper bags over our heads.

With shaking hands, I turned the page over. It was just as I had feared. There, written in thick, black marker was, what was probably to be, my last ever A message.

**You know what they say, like father like daughter. Not so innocent now, is she? You must be so proud, I know I am. – A**

"It's just for a year and a half, baby," My mom said, as if that would be a comfort to me.

"Can I even say goodbye to the girls, to him?" I asked, my voice was still shaking with tears but they'd stopped falling at last.

"No," My father almost yelled, "Aria, I absolutely forbid you from having any contact with that man. It's sick and illegal. He's lucky we're not going to the police and we will, if you talk to him."

"Lucky?" I echoed, with my voice no more than a whisper. They had no response to that. I could feel the walls of my cage being built around me and, as we piled my bags into the waiting car and set off on the road, I could almost hear A's twisted laugh echoing behind me.

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><p><strong>Dun, dun, duunnnn! Please review :) I have the next few chapters written but I want to know what you think is going to happen!<strong>

**Next chapter: Ezra's POV.**

**Katie x**


	3. She is the Sunlight

**Woo third chapter :) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, it means so much :) **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>And if loving her is heartache for me and if holding her means that I have to bleed, then I am the martyr and love is to blame.<br>__She is the healing and I am the pain. She lives in a daydream where I don't belong.  
>She is the sunlight – the sun is gone."<em>

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><p>I tried not to be disappointed when Aria didn't text back to my 'Sure you need to go?' text. It sounds cliché but I missed her already. My lips still tingled from her kisses and the warmth of my apartment seemed to have left at the same time as she did. It was a lonely place, my apartment, without her in it.<p>

I was just beginning to clean up the floury mess that used to be my kitchen when I spotted her 'This Star Won't Go Out' band beside the batter bowl. I picked it up with a smile, stretching it between my fingers, remembering how the bright green band had looked against her creamy skin. It was a contrast that shouldn't have worked, like most of her outfits, but it did. She looked good in everything. Pocketing the band, I decide to keep it as a memento so that, even though nobody knew it, it was a sign that I belonged to Aria.

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><p>I spent the rest of Saturday, and most of Sunday, grading papers and planning lessons. By five o'clock Sunday afternoon, I was starting to get worried about why Aria wasn't texting me back. I'd sent her four texts since she had left and had heard nothing in response.<p>

I hoped that nothing had happened to her. It was so frustrating that I couldn't even ask anybody to be sure. How messed up does a relationship have to be for you not to be able to check that your own girlfriend is alright? I considered calling her to put my mind at ease but it was too risky. What if she was out with her friends and one of them answered? We couldn't exactly pass it off as a wrong number.

I shook myself out of it; she'd probably just left her phone at home or lost it – again. That girl went through more phones than I did red pens. And that's saying something.

Grabbing a beer out of my fridge, I ordered myself a Sweet & Sour Pork Hong Kong Style from the Chinese. I was a grown man, I didn't need to sulk because my girlfriend wasn't texting me back. I had a life before Aria.

Then again, I thought, from the same spot on my couch three hours and four beers later, I had a better one with her.

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><p>It was raining the next day as I made my way to work. I didn't have much to complain about though, as I had Aria's class for a double second period. It would be a relief to see her. My worries wouldn't be over until I saw her in her seat.<p>

I pulled up outside the school and for a moment, all I could hear was the lashings of rain against my car. It reminded me of that day, all those months ago, when I'd rescued her from the pouring rain and kissed her for the third time. I could still remember that feeling of euphoria I had gotten from the feeling of her lips on mine once more. That was the moment when I had known that I was hooked on one Aria Montgomery.

Suddenly, second class had never felt so far away.

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><p>I tried to contain my excitement to see Aria once more as my freshman English class filed out of my classroom and Aria's class began to appear one-by-one. The day and a half apart seemed like a lifetime.<p>

In an attempt to seem like my whole day wasn't built around this class, or more specifically, one student, I turned to write this class' discussion topic on the board. 'The Great Gatsby – Is love only a dream?'

The bell rang, signalling the start of the lesson and I span around with a grin, ready to start another week of trying to avoid staring at Aria.

Although, before I could locate her, there was a knock at the door and the school secretary stepped through the door.

"Mrs Matthews," I said with surprise, "What can I do for you?"

"A change to the student lists," she said, handing me a piece of paper before retreating out the door.

My class began to talk amongst themselves as I glanced down at the page in my hands.

My eyebrows knitted together as I looked down at my new list of students. I wondered who would bother transferring half way through the year. Skimming through the list of names I tried to find the missing name. The answer to my question made my heart stop and the page slipped from between my fingers, falling, as if in slow motion, to the ground.

The room was spinning. I tried to draw in breath but it was as if my lungs had given up working. This was _not_ happening. It was a misprint, a mistake, a prank, a bad dream. This couldn't be reality, reality wasn't this cruel.

Finally, I forced myself to look up and face what I knew I would see; the pretty girl who occupied the desk one in from the window was nowhere to be seen. Aria was gone.

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><p><strong>I hoped you like it! Now go review before I change my mind about uploading the next chapter really soon!<br>**

**Two quick notes you may be interested in: **

**1- The 'This Star Wont Go Out' bracelets are real and available on DFTBA (dot) com. All proceeds go to families who have suffered as a result of cancer.**

**2- I work in a Chinese restaurant and what Ezra orders is number 26-A. I wanted to use 26-B but we don't have one so this was the closest :L**

**Next time: Aria's first day.**


	4. Bleeding Love

**I'm not entirely happy with this but I don't think there's much else I could have done with it! Let me know what you think :)**

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><p>"<em>But I don't care what they say; I'm in love with you. They try to pull me away but they don't know the truth. My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing."<em>

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><p>My first few days at Augusta's School for Girls passed by in a blur. I was shown around campus – not that I could remember anything from it- and to my room, which was to be shared with two other girls in my grade, Rose Milson and Amy Day.<p>

I'm sure they were lovely girls but I was in no state to interact with them. It felt like I'd left half of myself in Rosewood. My thoughts were constantly on Ezra. What was he doing? Where was he? Did he miss me? Did he know where I'd gone? Had my parents told him? I couldn't even ring him; my parents said they'd go to the police if I did.

My classes were my only escape from him and how much he must hate me for just leaving. Since I'd started in the middle of the semester, I couldn't even take a day off to get my bearings. So, I buried myself in my studies, immersing myself in algebra and chemistry and French like I'd never done before, anything to get my mind off of him. Spencer would be proud; I was going to have grades to rival hers.

I was dreading English on Wednesday. How could I open 'To Kill A Mockingbird' knowing that he wouldn't be quizzing me on it? How could I open a poetry book or Shakespeare or 'The Great Gatsby'? I'd given everything to our relationship and, as a result, everything had become our relationship.

That first night, after I had finished all my homework, some that I didn't even need for another week, I crawled into bed, trying to keep myself from being overcome by tears. It probably wouldn't be the best first impression I could give the girls, but what did they expect? I'd just moved to a different state for crying out loud!

I could hear them muttering to each other and tried to drown them out. I'd be friendly next week. I was too depressed right now.

"Aria?" I heard one of them whisper. I pretended to be asleep. I wasn't ready for awkward questions I didn't know how to answer.

"I think she's asleep."

"Do you know why she moved here?"

"I heard that she got caught up in a murder investigation." If only they knew. "Betty-Louise said that her best friend went missing." I frowned, how had the story spread that quickly?

"I heard that she went insane." I couldn't help myself, I snorted. My game up, I sat up and turned to face them.

"It's rude to eavesdrop," Rose pointed out from her bed, flicking her long, brown hair over her shoulder.

"It's rude to gossip," I replied with a grin.

"Touché," she said, smiling warmly at me.

"So," Amy said, "Were we right? Did all of that really happen?"

"What she means is," Rose said, shooting Amy a glare, "How come you moved here?"

I sighed, if I didn't tell them now, I'd have to eventually.

"Yeah, my best friend went missing last year. She was murdered."

They both gasped, muttering their apologies. I nodded, used to such words.

"That's not why I moved here, though," I said.

"Then why?" Amy asked, scooting forward on her bed.

"My parents didn't like my boyfriend," I told them, "He was seven years older than me." It was vague but it was true. It felt so good to say that out loud, I'd never referred to Ezra as my boyfriend to anybody but him.

"He was twenty three?" Amy gasped. Her blue eyes were wide from shock.

"Yeah," I nodded, "But it never felt like that. Age was never an issue with us." My eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. "I-I didn't even get to say goodbye!" I wiped at the tears furiously. I was sick of crying. It was exhausting.

I couldn't even bring myself to think about the girls. They needed me now more than ever. My parents said that they'd tell them where I'd gone in a few weeks, once I had assured them that they knew nothing about me and Ezra. They were taking every precaution they could to ensure that I'd never see him again.

"I'm really sorry, Aria," Rose said, getting up and handing me a tissue, "What's his name?"

She climbed back into her bed and looked at me expectantly. I glanced at Amy, who had a similar look on her face. I couldn't tell them the truth, it was too risky.

"Noel," I lied, "Noel Kahn."

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><p>I sat with the girls at breakfast the next morning. I was really beginning to like them. Rose was a lot like Emily and Amy kind of reminded me of Spencer. She was really smart and seemed to kind of lack tact when it came to talking about Ezra, or 'Noel.<p>

"So, is he hot?" She asked suddenly, causing me to choke on my coffee. I made it the way Ezra liked his, one sugar and a drop of milk, desperate to cling onto everything I knew about him.

I didn't answer and laughed when Rose elbowed her.

It made me miss the girls. Summer seemed so far away and I couldn't wait to go back to Rosewood and see them again. Still, it felt nice to have Amy and Rose around, like a little piece of home was with me.

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><p>I made my way to English with my heart in my mouth. I wasn't ready to face the beautiful syntax of legendary writers without him on the other end.<p>

I took my seat, one in from the window, ironically enough, and pulled out a notebook.

The class began and I couldn't bring myself to look up. This was _our_ lesson, _our _subject. My eyes filled with tears as the reality of my situation caught up with me.

I was really here and he was really there and we would really never be together again. I watched as the tears splashed onto my page and bowed my head lest anybody notice. I couldn't do this. Not without him.

"Miss Montgomery?"

I couldn't – I – I needed him – I couldn't...

"Miss Montgomery?"

I snapped out of it and looked up into the worried eyes of my new English teacher, Ms O' Callaghan.

"Sorry," I apologised, hoping that she wouldn't notice the tear tracks and so very glad that I'd skipped the makeup today, "I was just..."

"Away with the fairies?" she supplied. I nodded sheepishly. "Well, please rejoin us. It seems you have some catching up to do." I nodded again and picked up my pen. This was going to be a really long year.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked :) I can't wait until Wednesday morning when I can watch the new episode online! :D Now go review, or I'll send Jenna to stand and stare at you. Sometimes, I feel like she can actually see... :**

**Katie x**


	5. Feels like Home

**Awh, yeah, chapter 5, yeah. :)**

**Enjoy and review!**

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><p>"<em>It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me, it feels like I'm all the way back where I belong."<em>

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><p>"Well, look who it is!" I cried, as I stepped through the door into my new dorm room and caught sight of Rose and Amy gossiping on their beds.<p>

"Aria!" They squealed, jumping up and engulfing me in a hug.

It was the first day back after summer and we were officially seniors. Classes started the next day, leaving us with the whole day to catch up and unpack.

I'd slowly but surely come to love my life in Augusta's. It was simple and fun and completely stress-free.

"So," Rose said, grabbing my hand and towing me to the bed. "Give us the lowdown, how was your summer?"

"Great," I told her, "I got to see Spencer and Hanna and Emily. It was good catching up with them."

"And what about Noel?" Amy asked, taking a seat on the other side of me and handing me a bottle of water, "Did you see him?"

I felt my heart drop, it had been eight months since I'd been forced to leave Ezra and I still couldn't get him off my mind. Everything I did reminded me of him. He was everywhere. In the books I read, the coffee I drank, the essays I wrote...

"Aria?" Rose prompted, "Did you see him?"

"I..."

*flashback*

_I stood outside Ezra's apartment block, willing myself to go up and see him. I'd been back in Rosewood for a month and still hadn't plucked up the courage to go and see him. If my parents knew I was here they'd kill me. And him. And not necessarily in that order._

_I pushed my fears aside and made my way up to his flat. The walk to 3-B was surreal; it felt so weird to be walking these halls after such a long time. The smell of damp was oddly comforting._

_Pausing at his door, I wondered if I should knock or let myself in with the spare key I still had next to my house one. _

_I knocked._

_There was no answer. That was weird, it was 9.30AM on a Sunday morning, Ezra never went out before noon on a Sunday. At least, he didn't eight months ago._

_I knocked louder. Maybe he was asleep? _

_Taking out my key, I let myself in._

_The grief from what I saw hit me like a train, the apartment was empty. The shelves were vacant, the bed was stripped, the walls were bare._

_Ezra was gone and, as I sank to the floor, letting the tears take me once more, it finally hit me, I'd never see him again._

*End of flashback*

"I..." Looking at the girls' expectant faces, I wished I could tell them the truth. "No, I didn't."

"That sucks," Rose said, rubbing my arm, "It would have been nice to get some closure." I'd never thought about it that way before, but maybe she was right.

"Yeah," I agreed, "Closure would have been nice."

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><p>The blaring from my alarm roused me from my dreams of Alison and 'A' and Ian. It had been two years since Ali was murdered and I still had nightmares. Ezra used to keep them away.<p>

I rolled over, slapping wildly at where the alarm was until it shut off. Peeping at it through one eye, I saw the evil red lines telling me that it was 7AM. Yuck.

I could still hear Amy's snores and threw my pillow at her before forcing myself to get up for the day, the first day of senior year.

Most of the day before had been spent thinking about what Rose had said about closure and I think that seeing his empty apartment could give me just that.

He'd clearly moved on, maybe it was time that I did, too. We'd been apart longer than we'd been together after all.

I continued to muse these thoughts as I prepared myself for the day. I pulled on my uniform before yanking the covers off Amy's bed. She curled up into the fetal position and I rolled my eyes. This was a routine we'd done many times before.

Just on cue, the door banged open and Rose walked fully ready for the day and carrying three coffees.

"I smell coffee!" Amy cried, holding out the arm that wasn't blocking the light from her eyes behind her for her cup.

"Just what we need," I said, accepting mine with a gracious smile. Taking a sip, I sighed. _Just the way Ezra likes it._

The other two had American History first thing so I bid them farewell and headed towards English.

Ms O' Callaghan had become one of my favourite teachers. She was Irish and constantly went off on tangents about Irish poets and playwrights. But she was kind and understanding and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She helped me love English again.

I took my usual seat and waited for her to arrive.

My phone buzzed and I leant down to see who could possibly be texting me this early and on this number. My parents had only just gotten me a new phone during the summer. I wondered if this was because they had known that Ezra was gone.

Some part of me expected to see a threatening message from 'A'. A year later and I was still scared of her. The girls had told me that they were still getting messages from whoever it was and I wished that I could be there to help them.

It was Rose.

**Just heard that Ms Call got married. Louise says the new teacher is a babe. True? X**

I frowned, I didn't want a new teacher, especially a male one.

The door closed, making me look up from my phone. A man with short, black hair was writing his name on the board. I dropped my phone and it hit the desk with a loud clatter.

_This was not happening._

Ezra Fitz turned around, smiling at his new class. He didn't appear to have seen me. I waited as he looked around. Our eyes met.

"Holy crap."

_So much for closure,_ I thought bitterly. We _really_ had to stop meeting like this.

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><p><strong>Taa-daa! Well, I hope you liked it! Please, please review... I'm not afraid to set Jason on you.<strong>

**Katie x**

**Next time: The confrontation!**


	6. Vampire Heart

**Chapter 6, at your service. **

**Dedicated to Lupin, the newest edition of the gang. (My friend's new puppy!)**

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><p>"<em>So let in the light, turn me to dust. If it don't end in bloodshed, dear, it's probably not love."<em>

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><p>The rest of that English class passed much as our first class together in Rosewood had, with both Ezra and I trying to avoid looking at each other. I couldn't believe that this was happening – again.<p>

I wanted to talk to him afterwards but as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, he was out the door.

The other girls in my class began to gossip about how hot he was and how old they thought he was and whether or not he had a girlfriend and, if so, if she was pretty or not as they made their way to their next classes. I wished that I could join in with them, that I could pretend that the new English teacher was just that and not my ex-boyfriend with whom I was still madly in love with.

Oh, God, this was such a mess.

Slowly making my way to my next class, I couldn't keep my mind off of him, cataloguing every single change in his appearance. The length of his fringe, the curls he'd re-grown, the light tan and few freckles he'd gotten over the summer... He was perfect. My memories had not done him justice.

The bell went; there was no way that I'd make it to French in time now. Not that it bothered me much. It was the first day back, I could miss the obligatory "Mes vacances d'été" lesson.

Without paying much attention to where my feet were taking me, I ended up in the cafeteria. More coffee, that's what I needed, that's what I always needed.

Once it was ready, I took a seat next to the window, letting the familiar fumes of coffee beans warm me up as I stared out at the mountains, feeling more alone than ever.

"Aria..."

I span around, knocking my coffee all over the table. There he stood, clutching a cup of coffee, Ezra Fitz in all his perfection. His eyes were as wide as mine felt as we both stood staring at one another, drinking in the sight of each other after all these months.

He was wearing his blue oxford tucked into his black slacks. It was incredible how much better looking he was in person in comparison to my memories.

I wondered what he thought of my uniform. The navy blazer and grey skirt weren't exactly what he was used to seeing me in.

"You look..." I began but let the sentence die, unsure of what was to follow that statement. It had been so long, I'd forgotten how to speak to him.

"You left," he said eventually. I looked away from him, "You left and I had no idea where you'd gone." He was angry. I couldn't blame him.

"I had to," I whispered, "My parents... they knew about us."

"How?"

I couldn't tell him. Not without telling him everything. Even in a different state, 'A' was ruining my life.

"Someone told them," I said cryptically, still avoiding looking at him.

"And you couldn't have called, texted, emailed? Just to let me know that you were okay? Didn't I deserve that?"

I looked up, unsure of what to say, and met his gaze. All the times I'd imagined seeing him again and not once did I picture the fury that I saw in his eyes.

I couldn't bear the venom in his voice.

I took one step forward, he took one step back.

"Ezra," I whispered, letting the tears fall.

"I waited for you, Aria. For months I did nothing but wait. And now you're here and... Did you think about me at all?"

Now I was angry. Did he really think I had wanted this?

"Of course I did! All the time! But, Ezra, I couldn't-" He cut across me.

"You know what? Don't tell me. Maybe it's better this way. Now we can finally just be student and teacher."

My mouth fell open.

"Is- is that what you want?" I stammered, the only thing worse than not seeing him would be seeing him and not having him.

His eyes dropped to the ground. He was struggling with this, I could tell.

"It's what's best," he told me. That wasn't an answer. I was about to tell him this, demand that he answer me properly, but he had already turned to leave.

All I could do was watch him walk away.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked :) Now... what to threaten you with this time... Oh, I know! I'm going away for two weeks on Monday and if you don't review I'll leave you with a very, very mean cliff hanger. <strong>

**Katie x**


	7. Turning Tables

**Chapter 7 - Turning Tables**

**By the way, if you haven't noticed, each chapter title is the name of the song I took the lyrics from. **

**Warning: some cursing in this chapter... usually I don't write using swears but I got caught up in the moment! :P **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>Close enough to start a war,<br>All that I have is on the floor,  
>God only knows what we're fighting for,<br>All that I say, you always say more."_

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><p>We avoided each other like the plague for the rest of the week. He didn't address me in class and I made sure that I was always the last to arrive in the morning and the first leave after the bell.<p>

By the time the weekend rolled around, I was exhausted. Rose and Amy knew something was up but I couldn't bring myself to tell them. Ezra and may not have been together anymore and I knew that they'd never tell but I'd promised him. I wasn't going to risk ruining things more than they were ruined already.

All throughout the week my dreams had been plagued by his face. It was a welcome change from nightmares about Alison and 'A' but they still left me in a cold sweat when I woke up. I couldn't stand the thought of him hating me. He'd told me before that he could never do that. Well, he could have fooled me.

I was pulled from these thoughts by Amy jumping on my bed.

"Come on, lazy ass, time to hit the shops," she squealed. I'd forgotten, seniors were allowed to leave the campus on the weekends. I didn't understand her enthusiasm; it was West Virginia for Christ's sake, hardly a shopper's paradise.

"You know what," I said, "I think I'll give this one a miss."

Her enthusiasm died at once.

"Rose!" She called to the brown-haired girl across the room, "I think we need some coffee over here!"

"I'm on it!" she replied, jumping off her bed and rushing out the door.

She returned a few minutes later and plonked herself down on my bed beside Amy.

"Okay," she said, passing out the coffee cups, "Spill. What's been up with you for the past week? You hardly eat, you're not sleeping, when you do you keep crying out, and now you don't want to shop?"

"Have you been replaced by an alien?" Amy asked. We both shot her a look. "What? I saw it on HBO."

"Honestly guys, I'm fine," I lied. I was getting pretty good at that. "I'm just tired is all. You go and have a good time."

They looked at me, scepticism clear in their eyes.

"Has this got anything to do with Noel?" I looked at Amy, my eyes wide. Sometimes her perceptiveness scared me. I shook my head and they sighed.

"You know what, fine," Rose snapped. "Have it your way. Keep your secrets." She jumped up and gathered her things, tossing her brown hair over her shoulder. She was out the door before I could say anything.

Amy looked at me for a moment but when it became clear that I wasn't going to tell her anything, she got up, grabbed her bag and followed Rose out of the room.

I stared at the open door for a long time before collapsing back onto my pillow. Why the fuck did life have to be so complicated?

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><p>Two hours later found me wandering through the school library. The smell of books always reminded me of Ezra and I came here often to think about him.<p>

I didn't know what was to be done to fix this. We couldn't carry on for the whole year like we were.

If he'd only let me explain, then maybe we could work things out. I'd forgotten how stubborn he could be. It was a trait we both possessed. It wasn't the first time he had jumped to conclusions but this time I was odds of what I could do to make it right.

I pulled 'Hamlet' off the shelf and sat down by the window. It was Saturday so nobody was in the Library, not even the Librarian, Ms Tracy, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Soon, 'Hamlet' had me lost in a world of lies and deceit. Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia - they all had parts to play, just like I did, just like Ezra did. It felt like I couldn't escape him no matter where I went.

I flung the book to the ground in frustration.

What I didn't expect was for two hands to appear in my peripheral vision and hold it out to me. When I didn't take it from them, only remained staring at their hands, they dropped it on the table.

"It's a brilliant play," Ezra said, taking the seat opposite me at the table, "One of my favourites." He grinned at me and I could almost pretend that this was one of our old Saturday's together in his apartment. But the reality of our situation failed to let that happen. Somewhere in the back of my mind I realised that this was the first time in eight months that I'd seen him smile for me. When I gave him no response, he tried again. "Why didn't you go into town with your friends?"

"Didn't feel like it,"

"Why?

"Why do you care? You're just my teacher, remember?" I snapped, furious at the injustice of this all. I was finally starting to move on my with my life and now my thoughts were, once again, completely focused on him.

"Aria, I still care about you," he told me, reaching over and placing his hand on mine.

I looked down at our hands for a long time. It felt so good to have his skin on mine once more but this wasn't fair. How was I supposed to see him as my teacher if his touch still made my skin tingle with electricity?

"No," I said, loudly, pulling my hand out from under his and standing up, "You're not allowed to do that! You can't treat me as if you want nothing to do with me and then act like Mr Nice-Guy. It's not fair, Ezra!"

"Not fair?" he echoed. His voice was low and threatening as he kicked back his chair and stood up. His blue eyes were like ice. "You left me, remember?"

No, he was not using that one on me again. Not if he wasn't going to let me explain.

"You think I wanted to leave? You think that I chose this?" I yelled. I'd never shouted at him before. The words echoed around the library, making me flinch.

His eyes widened, clearly he had not expect that, "You didn't?"

"Of course I didn't!" I told him, shaking my head in frustration, "I _had_ to leave. My parents were going to turn you into the police. That was my ultimatum. I left _for_ you, Ezra. I gave up my whole life _for_ you."

His eyes told me that he had no clue. Suddenly, I hated him, hated him for coming back, hated him for thinking that I'd do that to him, and hated him for making me still love him despite all that.

I needed to be away from him.

"Aria I-" he began, but I didn't want to listen. I grabbed my bag and the battered copy of 'Hamlet'.

"Forget it," I told him, putting on my bravest face, "It's better this way, yeah? I'll see you Monday, Ez- Mr Fitz."

Walking out of that room, knowing that he was staring after me, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I was just glad that I made it back to my room before the tears started to fall.

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><p><strong>Oh, dear. Looks like they still have a long way to go before they reach an understanding. But remember, all is never what it seems when it comes to the Liars! <strong>

**I'm currently half way through writing the chapter that I _want_ to leave you with. You know, the one that _won't _have a cruel cliffhanger? Now, whether I complete it in time is a different story alltogether... if only I had some reviews to keep me motivated...**

**Next time: Ezra's POV**

**-Katie x**


	8. You Could Be Happy

**Okay, so this is chapter 8, obviously. I actually quite like it.**

**It's dedicated to Michael Lennon, my cousin and co-worker! :) **

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><p>"<em>And all the things that I wished I had not said<br>Are played in loops 'till it's madness in my head.  
>Is it too late to remind you how we were?<br>But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur.  
>Most of what I remember makes me sure<br>I should have stopped you from walking out the door."_

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><p>To say that my first week in Augusta's School for Girls was stressful would be the understatement of the century. And it wasn't just the 'ahh, where the hell is my classroom?' kind of stressful, oh no, it was the 'holy crap, the love of my life who broke my heart is my student – again' kind of stressful. Oh, and to add to that, she wanted nothing to do with me, teacher or otherwise. Hearing her call me 'Mr Fitz' had felt like a smack in the face.<p>

I could not believe that I had been so stupid as to have doubted her.

The first few months without her in Rosewood had been hell. Aria's absence was so raw and painful it was almost palpable. I spent hours waiting for a text or a phone call or an email, anything that would let me know what had happened to her.

I couldn't go anywhere without being reminded of Aria. School, my apartment, the picture house, the bar – even getting take-away became depressing. That's why I moved here and turned down the job at Hollis – I needed to be away from her. Yet here she was, as beautiful and enticing as ever.

When I'd asked Ella why Aria had transferred she told me that it was because of Alison and that Aria felt she needed a fresh start. I wanted to pursue the subject more but thought that I was overstepping my boundaries. Besides, I figured that maybe Aria didn't want me knowing where she was. That's the whole point of running away, right? To not be followed?

And now, to find out that she didn't run away, that she'd left to save me from prison. She'd given up her whole life for me, her family, her friends, and I'd just thrown it back in her face. I'd totally screwed this up. I needed to fix it.

As I watched her grab her things and leave, I wanted nothing more than to go after her and take back all of the things I'd said and didn't mean. I wanted to pull her to me and tuck her head under my chin, cradle her until the whole world fell away and it was just the two of us, loving one another exactly as we should.

Seeing her again had brought all of these buried feelings rushing back, everything that I'd forced myself to fundamentally _unfeel_ I was feeling again. The electricity of her touch, the heat of her gaze, the honey of her voice...

I was a fool to think that we could ever have gone back to just being teacher and student. Wasn't it our inability to do that in Rosewood the very reason that we were together in the first place?

How was it that one girl has such an effect on me?

Who knows how long I stood there, staring at the door, waiting for her to come back. Eventually, when it became clear that she was never going to storm back in and forgive me, I made my way back to my quarters with every intention to drown my sorrows in a few bottles of beer and some crappy TV.

What I didn't expect, however, was to see Aria sitting on the floor with her back leaning against the door as she waited for me.

"How did you find here?" I asked, frozen to the spot at the end of the hall. She jumped at the sound of my voice and looked up at me.

"It's Ms O' Callaghan's old room, I figured it'd be yours now," she said, standing up from her seat on the floor and brushing off her dress. She was wearing, I noticed, the same dress she'd worn when we first met. Only this time she'd coupled it with a gaudy black necklace. I'd missed her quirky clothes and the moment it always took me to decide whether or not I liked them.

"Oh, right," I took an unconscious step towards her. There was silence. I looked down at my key, turning it over and over in my palm.

"I went back to your apartment," she said, I looked up to see her gazing at the key in my hand, "During the summer, I went to see you. You were gone."

"Yeah," I nodded, "I went to New York to see Hardy before I moved here."

"How is he?" I knew she was dancing around the real reason she was here. She didn't want talk about Hardy and neither did I. But she was talking to me so I wasn't going to stop her.

"Good, he's good..." There was silence again and I looked back down at the key.

"Can we-" Aria began, making me look up at her. There were tears in her eyes. "Can we just pretend like none of that happened? That it's just you and me and no more distance?"

I took two, quick steps forward and then she was in my arms and I was lifting her up and she was wrapping her arms around my neck and everything was falling back into place.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry... Aria..." Over and over I breathed the words into her hair as I stroked her back and head, pulling her as close to me as I could.

"I know, I know, me too," she replied, breathily.

I don't know how long we stood there in the seclusion of the teacher's quarters, long enough for me to begin to feel whole again anyway.

Eventually, I put her down and we stepped away from each other.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked, gesturing to the door. She looked from me to the door and back again, biting her lip as she considered the invitation.

"I-I don't know," she admitted, letting out a small laugh.

"Why?"

"Do you think this is clever?" She asked. I could see the confusion in her eyes. "Starting all this again? You're still my teacher, Ezra."

I nodded, she was right. Of course, she was. But when had that ever stopped us before? I'd experienced life without her now and was in no hurry to go back to that.

She raised a hand to my cheek and I sucked in a breath. She hesitated for a moment before brushing my fringe out of my eyes. The action was so familiar that it almost made me kiss her.

"I'll see you Monday," she said, stepping around me and heading down the hall.

"Aria," I called, twisting around to see her. She stopped walking but didn't turn around, "I'm going to fight for you this time."

She didn't respond, only nodded her head and continued down the hall.

When she was gone and the shadows had crept back into my heart, I stepped into my small flat.

It was around the same size as my place in Rosewood only without the kitchen. The walls were a deep green and the ground was covered in an ugly, grey carpet but the familiar clutter of books and papers made it feel like home.

I was just about to pull a beer out of my mini-fridge, the only thing in it except for milk and water, when my phone rang.

My heart froze. _Oh, no,_ how could I have forgotten? My mind had been so preoccupied with Aria that all other thoughts had been pushed aside.

I checked the called I.D and groaned, my fears being confirmed.

Reluctantly, I flicked it open and held it up to my ear.

"Jackie, hi."

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><p><strong>I really, really, really don't want to leave you with this chapter but I might not have time to update before my flight on Monday! I'm working tonight (5pm-11pm) and I'm going to Glee tomorrow and then my flight is at 7am on Monday (I have to get the bus at 3am). But I'll try! Really, I will! <strong>

**So, go review. I'm not afraid to kidnap Ezra and keep him in my closet where you'll never see him again. :|**

**-Katie x**


	9. Keep Holding On

**I'm just too good to you.**

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><p>"<em>You're not alone, together we stand.<br>I'll be by your side; you know I'll take your hand."_

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><p>The girls were back from their trip when I arrived back at the dorm room. Rose rushed forward to envelop me in a hug the second the door shut behind me.<p>

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She cried, "I was so mean, I completely forgot!" She pulled back and took my hands.

"Forgot what?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and looking between her and Amy.

"About Alison," she said quietly. I looked at her, confused. She dragged me over to her bed and sat me down beside Amy. "This is the one year anniversary of when they found her body, isn't it?"

My eyes widened as I did the mental math. She was right. Oh my God, how could I have forgotten?

"Yeah," I gasped, dumbfounded, "Yeah, it is."

Amy rubbed my back comfortingly.

"The second we realised, we just felt awful," Rose told me, "You needed somebody and we just turned our backs."

I felt the tears rise in my eyes and my nose started to sting as I realised my own selfishness. They were being too nice, I didn't deserve it after all the lies.

"Why do you smell like boy?"

"What?" I asked, dazed.

"You smell like cologne," she said. Oh, crap.

Rose, who had been sitting on the floor, leaning against my bed, stood up and sniffed the air around me.

"Abercrombie," she announced, "Where have I..?" A second later, her eyes widened, "Aria... tell me that's not..."

"Rose," I said, "Don't freak out."

"But that's..." She nearly shouted.

"Rose," I warned, standing up.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" She yelled.

"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" Amy cried, jumping to her feet beside us and looking from one of us to the other.

Rose regarded me for a long time and I met her gaze steadily.

Finally, she relaxed and stepped away. She took a seat on her bed and looked up at me expectantly.

"Seems like somebody has a bit of explaining to do," she said.

"About what?" Amy asked, impatience evident in her voice.

I sighed. This was not how I wanted them to find out but I knew that if I didn't tell them now I could lose them.

"You better sit down," I told her. She obeyed and took a seat next to Rose. I rubbed my forehead, unsure about where to begin. I guessed with the lie.

"Do you remember on my first night when you guys asked me why I moved here?" They nodded, Rose a little more wearily than Amy. "Well, I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth," I admitted.

"You didn't have an older boyfriend?" Amy asked, looking hurt that I'd lied to her.

"No, I did," I assured her, "But he was a bit more than just my boyfriend."

"What are you trying to say?" Amy questioned further.

I looked at her trying to decide on my words. I walked over and locked the door so that nobody else would hear what I was about to tell them. I'd be lying if I said that a part of me wasn't relieved to be able to have people to talk to.

"He was..." The words caught in my throat as I made my way back over to them. I tried again, "He was...well, he was my teacher."

Both Amy and Rose gasped. I bowed my head, it felt like I was betraying Ezra's trust.

"So, what? He came to visit you today?" Amy guessed.

"I guess you could say that," I said, "But there's more I didn't tell you." They were both looking at me like they couldn't believe their ears.

"Well?" Rose asked.

"His name wasn't Noel Kahn."

"What was his name?" Amy asked, looking from Rose to me and back again. Rose seemed to be waiting for me to talk. I swallowed, it was now or never.

"Ezra Fitz," I told them, looking at the floor, waiting for the explosion.

"I still don't get it," Amy sighed.

"Mr Fitz," I clarified, looking up at her. Only yesterday had she been gushing about how 'hot' he looked in a waist-coat.

"I know," she said, "I don't get why you didn't tell us."

"Well, I didn't exactly expect him to turn up in class," I said.

"You didn't?" Rose asked, her face and voice were apologetic. I shook my head before collapsing back onto my bed.

"I met him in a bar the day before Junior Year started." I began to tell them the tale that I'd kept secret for so long. They listened intently as I told them how we'd met in the bar, how we tried to stay apart, how, without even meaning to, I'd fallen for him harder and faster than I ever thought was possible. The tears started to fall as I relayed the events, minus A, that had brought me here.

"And now he's back and I still love him but I don't see how it can work when, if my parents find out, he'll go to jail. I mean, we can hardly have a secret relationship when they've already found out once."

"So, he wants you back?" Rose questioned, sliding off her bed and coming to sit beside my head on mine. I closed my eyes and nodded.

"I think so."

"What are you going to do?" The bed dipped beside me and I presumed that Amy had joined us.

"What can I do?" I asked, sitting up and opening my eyes, "Tell me, what is the right thing to do?"

For that, they had no answer.

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><p><strong>Guess what? There's another chapter nearly finished! I probably made a few errors in work because I was so intent on getting it finished. Oh, well, who really wants what they ordered anyway? :P <strong>

**In the unlikely event that I get it up later, it will be the last chapter for two weeks! Glee + France + Italy, here I come :D**

**Next time: Ezra has a visitor**

**REVIEW or I'll tell A all of your secrets.**

**-Katie x**


	10. Awake My Soul

**What's this? Another chapter? I'm just too good.**

**Oh, my God, Glee was amazing. **

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><p><strong>Dedicated to MARK King, I'm sorry I thought your name was Alan.<strong>

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><p>"<em>How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes.<br>I struggle to find any truth in your lies.  
>And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know.<br>My weakness I feel I must finally show._

_Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all,_  
><em>But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall,<em>  
><em>Lend me your eyes I can change what you see,<em>  
><em>But your soul you must keep, totally free."<em>

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><p>Suffice to say, English on Monday was an awkward affair. I still had no idea what I wanted to do about Ezra. My feelings for him hadn't changed but I was scared that we'd get back to where we were only to have it torn away from us again.<p>

He, however, seemed less conflicted when it came to what he wanted for us.

_Oh, how times had changed._

On Tuesday, he assigned everybody a poem to write a response to as we left the classroom. Our fingers brushed briefly as he handed me the piece of paper and I felt that jolt of electricity that I had come to miss dearly.

I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked down the hall, heading back to my dorm for the day.

Amy and Rose both had GYM last class on a Tuesday so, thankfully, the room was empty when I got there.

I sat at my desk with the folded poem in front of me. My fingers thrummed an unknown beat on the wood as I willed myself to look at the poem he had chosen for me.

Finally, after a long time spent at it, I reached over and unfolded my assignment.

"_Doubt thou the stars are fire,  
>Doubt that the sun doth move,<br>Doubt truth to be a liar,  
>But never doubt I love."<em>

I had a strange urge to laugh as I read the four lines on the page over and over again.

Our assignment was to describe the feelings the poem arouses in you. Shaking my head, a bubble of laughter escaped my lips.

He was writer, using Shakespeare to win a girl over. Although, I couldn't deny that it was working.

With a sigh, I tore out a piece of paper and began my response.

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><p>English was the last class on Friday, so I hadn't seen Ezra since Tuesday. In fairness, I had been busy setting up the hall for Homecoming on Saturday so it hadn't exactly left a lot of time for rekindling romances.<p>

On Friday, as the bell rang to signal class beginning and as he rushed in late, his tie undone and his shirt half un-tucked, there was no denying how badly I wanted him.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, hastily tucking in his plain-white shirt and pulling off his tie, "There was a coffee disaster on the way here."

We laughed and his eyes met mine. He grinned his trademark boyish grin at me and it was all I could do not to run up and kiss him.

Oh, yes, I wanted him.

He got himself in order before casually leaning against his desk.

"So, you all had to write your poetry response for today, who wants to go first?"

The class suck-up, Madison, stuck her hand up in the air and he nodded for her to continue.

"The poem I got was called 'B-26'," she said in her sickly sweet voice. My eyes shot over to Ezra but he was looking pointedly away from me. I could tell he was trying not to laugh.

I listened as Madison talked about the poem and what she thought it meant, It was actually amazing how far off she was.

I kept my hand down throughout the class as each person read their response. I wanted to go last.

To everybody else, it would seem like the poem selections were completely random but I knew that they were meant for me.

Finally, after Grace Matthews finished describing 'Sonnet 116' to us all, I stood up. I was the last to speak.

"I was given a quotation from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'," I declared. There was a murmur of confusion as to why Mr Fitz would choose this of all things.

"Every time I read these four lines I can't help but feel safe, like nothing can harm me. I think that's what Hamlet wanted to show Ophelia when he wrote it. He wanted her to know that she can always depend on him no matter what, even if nothing is as it seems.

"To experience love like that is rare but I think that once you've found it, you'd be a fool to let it go."

The bell rang as soon as those last words left my lips.

"Eh, Miss Montgomery," Ezra called, "Could you stay back for a moment, please?"

I waited until all the other girls had left before approaching his desk.

"Nice lesson," I smirked, causing him to let out a sheepish smile, "Trying to tell me something?"

"Aria, I think you know by now how I feel," he said, stepping away from his desk and towards me. There was little more than a foot between us.

I nodded dumbly, entranced by closeness.

"Aria, about the dance-" he began.

"There you are, Aria, we've been looking everywhere for you!"

We jumped apart at the sound of Amy's voice in the doorway. She smirked as she took in our shocked expressions.

"The sound guy didn't show up, we need you asap."

"I'll see you at the dance," I told him, shooting him an apologetic smile.

He nodded and I followed Amy out into the corridor.

* * *

><p>"Amy hurry up already!" I cried, banging on our bathroom door. The dance started fifteen minutes ago and she was still doing her hair.<p>

She flung open the door and I coughed as the wave of hairspray fumes invaded my lungs.

She was wearing a navy dress which had gems around the sweetheart neckline and below the bust. It looked amazing against her dark skin.

I, myself, was wearing a tight, black dress with pieces cut out at the sides and back. I would be lying if I said I wasn't trying to impress Ezra.

"You look amazing!" I told her, taking her hands and giving her a once over.

"I know," she laughed, "You look pretty damn good yourself. Trying to impress someone?"

She laughed louder when I blushed.

"Come on," she said, still chuckling, "Rose'll kill us if we don't get down there soon."

* * *

><p>When we arrived in the hall, the dance was in full swing. The boy's school, St Columba's, and our school came together every year to celebrate. We found Rose talking to her twin brother, Bruce, beside the punch bowl. She was wearing a slinky, silver sequined dress and looked stunning.<p>

"Hey, Rose," I said, coming to stand beside her.

"Oh, Aria, hi," she smiled, "Bruce, this is Aria, my roommate, and you remember Amy."

"Sure," he replied, shaking my hand. He was handsome with his bright green eyes and messy brown hair, "Nice to meet you."

"You, too," I said, smiling at him.

I spotted Ezra over his shoulder. He was wearing the same suit he'd worn to Homecoming in Rosewood.

Rose must have noticed my distraction because she elbowed me in the ribs.

"Aria," she whispered, "You're drooling."

"What?" I gasped, hastily wiping my chin, making her burst out laughing.

"Bitch," I muttered, elbowing her back, "I'm going to take a walk, okay?"

She nodded and went back to talking to Bruce and his friend who had joined us.

As I walked around the various stalls and food tabled, I couldn't help but be reminded of Ezra and our first Homecoming together. It felt like so long ago. Last time it was I who was trying to make us work. How the tables had turned.

"You look amazing."

I span around and grinned. There he was, my Ezra. I felt myself blush as I realised that I had referred to him using the possessive.

"You don't look half-bad yourself, Fitz," I said back. I knew he was flirting.

"Listen, Aria, I really need to-"

"There you are Ezra, I've been looking for you."

I watched, bewildered as a tall and extremely-pretty woman sidled up beside him and grinned. He closed his eyes briefly as she placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned into him, before smiling back at her.

"Jackie, this is Aria Montgomery," he said, "her father teaches at Hollis." I smiled at her and she smiled back, flashing me her perfect teeth.

"Hello, Aria, I'm Jackie Molina, his girlfriend."

It felt like all the air had been forced out of my lungs. How could he?

"G-girlfriend?" I stammered. I looked at Ezra and his eyes were wide. He looked guilty. He deserved to be.

"Well," I said, "I hope you two are very happy together." Jackie grinned at me and I turned to leave. As soon as I was out of view, I ran. I didn't even bother to try and stop the tears from falling and blurring my vision.

I sprinted through corridor after corridor, ignoring the protests my feet were giving. How could he do this to me? Was it some sort of revenge for leaving him? Did he want to see me break?

I stumbled and fell onto the floor. Staying on my knees for a long time, I sobbed. If he had wanted to see me break, it'd worked.

I looked up, I was outside his classroom.

Making my way to my feet, I pushed open the door. It was eerily dark. It smelled like him. Cologne and books and _home._

A fresh wave of tears started to fall as I walked forwards and leant against the desk, shutting my eyes and trying to calm down.

How could I have been so wrong? I thought he was perfect. I believed that he loved me.

Yesterday in class I practically declared my love for him and he'd just broken my heart, again.

"ARIA?" I heard his voice echoing though the halls. He was looking for me. Let him look.

"ARIA?" This time it was closer. I hid behind a cabinet, under the cloak of the shadows. "Aria, are you in here?"

I could see his reflection in the window. I didn't answer.

"Goddamn it!" He cursed, kicking the desk. He remained angry for a second before his face crumpled in pain, "Owww!"

I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

"Aria?"

My game up, I stepped out of the shadows and into view.

"It's not what it looks like," he said straight away. More lies.

"What, so you didn't incite your girlfriend to a dance that your ex-girlfriend was at?"

"She invited herself," he said, taking a step towards me. I shook my head and took a step back.

"Even so," I said, my voice still shaking with tears, "How could you? How could you lie to me like that? I thought that you loved me."

"I do love you, Aria," he said, walking forward quickly and grasping my hands. I tried to pull them free but he wouldn't let me.

"Jackie and I got together in July," he told me, I tried to pull away but his grip remained firm. I looked away, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. I was heading towards a full on melt-down. "I met her in a bar and she made me forget for a moment how much I missed you. But it was only ever a distraction. I was going to end it before I came here but she was away at a teacher's conference in California." I looked up at him then, his beautiful blue eyes met mine and I found that I couldn't look away. "I didn't want to end it on the phone so when she told me she wanted to visit I told her to come today. I tried to tell you after class yesterday but Amy interrupted."

I wanted to believe him, really I did.

"Ezra, I-"

I was cut off by the press of his lips against mine. Fireworks burst, supernovas exploded, glass smashed, hearts mended.

He pulled back a moment later and pressed his forehead against mine.

"It's you, Aria," he whispered, "It's always been you."

Suddenly, I couldn't get closer. My hands tangled in his hair as I pressed my lips against his once more. His arms wrapped around my waist as he lifted me up and pressed my body flush against his.

The kiss was heated and lust-filled, born out of desperation and frustration. Teeth clashed and tongues missed mouths but neither of us wanted to stop. It felt like I had been starved of him.

Eventually, our desperation faded and parted, pressing chaste kisses to each other's lips before pulling back entirely.

"I do love you, Aria," he told me, touching my cheek with the palm of his hand. I leaned in to it.

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>Right, that is officially it for two weeks. I'm off to France in just under 4 hours. I'm going to try and write the remaining chapters while I'm relaxing by the pool. ;)<strong>

**I worked my little ass off to get this to you so please, please review. I probably forgot to pack something because I was working so hard to get this to you. Sorry if there are errors but no way in hell was I reading over this.**

**Links to the dresses are on my profile!**

**Au reviour, Katie x**


	11. Held In The Arms Of Your Words

**Bonjour! I'm back, burnt but relaxed. I had suucch a good time in France! I was camping in Annecy for those who asked! Such a beautiful place! If I ever write another PLL story, I'm sending Ezria there!**

**Anywho, here's chapter 11. It's short but sweet. Flangst, if you will. Prepare yourself for future angst.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Our shadows kiss before we do, right here in the dark. I revel in the calm before the storm."<em>

* * *

><p>When Ezra and I returned to the dance, fifty seconds apart as was our usual (I was so glad that I could say that again) routine, it was with lighter hearts than we had possessed for nine long months. For the first time since I'd come here, I felt whole, at least for the time being. We still had a long way to go.<p>

I found the girls on the dance floor dancing with some guys from the boys school. If they noticed my smudged makeup and slightly tangled hair, they made no comment.

The remainder of the night was spent trying to resist the urge to find Ezra and drag him back to another empty classroom. I kept stealing glances of him out the corner of my eye. He had a constant grin on his face and more often than not I caught him staring back at me.

Thankfully, Jackie seemed to have fled the scene. Ezra told me that as soon as I'd stormed out that he'd ended it with her. In a way, I felt bad for her. It didn't last long though.

At 12AM, we bade farewell to the boys, some more extravagantly than others, and began the tedious task of cleaning up. I paused, mid-sweep, to watch Ezra as he talked to our principal, Mrs Curran. He caught my eye over her shoulder and grinned before turning his attention back to the conversation.

"Alright, spill, what happened with you and Mr Fitz?"

Amy's voice shook me out of my trance and I hastily resumed sweeping.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, sweeping with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm.

"So you storming out of here and him running after you didn't mean anything?" She asked.

"You saw that?" I asked, my eyes widening in fear. She smirked as I confirmed her accusations.

"Don't worry; it was only because I was watching you talk to him!" I relaxed immediately, the last thing we needed was suspicion, especially in a small place like this where gossip spread like wildfire.

"Who was that woman?" She asked. "He seemed really mad at her." This made me smile. I looked up and saw Ezra heading over.

"I'll tell you later," I whispered.

"Miss Montgomery, can you help me bring these bags to the trash?" He asked. I caught Amy smirking once more and forcefully shoved the broom into her hands.

"Of course, Mr Fitz," I smiled. He grinned and I could see the excitement in his eyes. Handing me a bag, Ezra turned to leave. I shot Amy another glare before following him out.

The bins were located behind the GYM so it was nice and secluded. When we arrived, Ezra took the bag from my hand and tossed it in the rubbish with the rest. There weren't that many bags; he hadn't really needed my help.

The place stank to the high heavens.

"Wow, sneaking off to the bins, quite the romantic, aren't you?" I teased as he swept me into his embrace.

He let out an 'hmm' as he placed a swift kiss on my lips.

"I don't know how I survived eight months without that," he confessed, leaning in to kiss me once more. I kissed him back for a few minutes before pulling away.

"Don't you think we're moving a bit fast?" I asked him, rubbing a bit of smudged lipstick from his lower lip with my thumb.

He frowned. "No."

"Ezra," I sighted, "We're not in Rosewood anymore. It's going to be much harder to hide this. And my parents, what if they find out? You'll go to jail." I hated to dampen the mood but one of us had to be the adult here, "I'm not-"

"If you say you're not worth it," he interrupted, "I will not be held responsible for my actions."

"But I'm not."

"Aria," he said firmly, frustration evident in his tone, "I love you and I'm not going anywhere. We'll figure it out, okay?" I bit my lip, still sceptical. "We move forward together, remember?" He caught my chin and forced me to meet his eyes. I couldn't deny the sincerity that I saw in them, "Aria?"

I closed my eyes and nodded, "Together."

* * *

><p><strong>Right, hope you enjoyed. I was quite disspointed with the last amount of reviews. Jeeze, maybe I'll just have to set Noel on you. (And not in a good way).<strong>

**-Katie x**


	12. Kingdom of Days

**I know, I know, the last chapter was a short one but it was really just a filler-inner. Also, it gives you a look inside Aria's mind, which is always a nice place to be. Sorry, am I not making much sense? I'm wrecked. I only got in from work two hours ago. Bleh, work.**

**Right, here ya go. Chapter 12.**

* * *

><p><em>"I love you, I love you, I love you, I do. You whisper then prove it, then prove it, then prove it, baby, prove."<em>

* * *

><p>The following Friday, I was sitting in his class trying not to stare and him and focus on the novel we were supposed to be reading when my cell buzzed. Glancing up at him, he was immersed – for once – in his grading. I pulled the phone out and hid it behind my book, not that he'd ever call me out for using it. Well, unless he wanted a slap.<p>

**So, Saturday? – E**

I looked up at him and saw that he was still working on his corrections. How did he do that? But if he wanted to play, I could play.

**What about it? XO Aria**

It was probably a risk signing off with my name but there was no chance that I was using the initial 'A' in a text. I'd once yelled at a very confused Amy for using it to text me.

I glanced up just in time to see him reach inside his pocket. He looked up, too, and gave me a knowing smile. It made me blush and turn back to my book.

We hadn't seen much of each other this week and it made me anxious. How could we possibly work when it seemed that everything was against us?

To get to his quarters, I had to pass by the principal's office and the staff room so I couldn't exactly sneak off to see him when I pleased. And there was no way in hell that he could come to my dorm. So we were left with quick conversations between classes and quiet discussions in the library. And now texting in class, apparently. I never thought I'd miss how we were in Rosewood.

My phone buzzed again.

**I'm thinking there's a rundown bar with our names on it... – E**

I laughed out loud and had to cover it with a coughing fit when people turned around to stare.

**Are you asking me on a date, Mr Fitz?**

The bell rang moments after I hit send and we all began to pack up and file out.

"Collect your papers on the way out!" Ezra called above the noise of twenty girls excited for the weekend.

I wanted to wait until the end to talk to him but Madison was already making him go through the marking of her essay. I shot him an apologetic look, collected my essay and left.

When I got back to my room, I sat on my bed and flicked open my grade. Beneath the big, red 'B+' he had scrawled 'Yeah, I think I am'.

* * *

><p>When Rose and Amy arrived back at the dorm ten minutes later I was still smiling.<p>

"What are you so preppy about?" Rose asked, swinging her bag onto her bed and rolling her back to relieve the 'senior year stress' that had built up there.

"Nothing," I said, hastily stuffing the essay into my bag.

"Is that your English essay?" Amy asked, indicating to my not-so-discreetly put-away paper. We all had Ezra for English just not at the same time so they had done the same paper.

"Um, yeah," I trailed off, unable to think of a cover-up. If I had learned anything about Rose and Amy since I'd transferred here it was that they both possessed the ability to find out anything and everything. I'd even told them a little about 'A' but they were nice enough to let the whole story slide when they saw how reluctant I was to talk about it. When the time came, I would tell them all about the horrors of 'A' but for now the pain he/she had inflicted on my life was too raw, the nightmares too vivid, the receiving of an unexpected text too unsettling.

Busy conducting my inner-monologue, I realised too lae that Amy had snatched the essay out of my bag.

"'I think I am'," she read, "He thinks he is what?"

I didn't answer.

Rose snatched the essay out of Amy's hand and read it herself.

"Aria Montgomery," she reprimanded, "Have you and Mr Fitz been having homework sex?"

Amy dissolved into a fit of laughter and I snatched the essay back with a dark look.

"Ha-ha," I said, rolling my eyes, "If you must know, he wants me to meet him tomorrow when we go out."

"And are you going to?" Rose asked, her motherly trait shining through. Mine and Ezra's relationship, if it even was a relationship, worried her as much as it worried me.

I shrugged, "I miss him."

They both "Awh'd" and made dopey faces while clutching their hearts. They may mock me, but I knew they'd help me.

* * *

><p>And so, a plan was hatched. The girls would drive me to the nearest town and go off and do their own thing. I'd tell Ezra that I'd told the girls I was feeling sick and was going to get the bus back up to the school. When the coast was clear, Ezra would pick me up at two o'clock and I'd lie down in his back seat, out of sight intil we made it onto the open road.<p>

It was impractical and contained a web of lies – all of which were aimed at Ezra- but it was the only plan we had.

So, after lunch on Saturday, I'd hopped into the back of Rose's black Porsche, dressed in a navy bodice dress that, paired with the nude heels I was wearing, was a bit too much to be casual. I was a bag of nerves and excitement. It felt like I finally had my boyfriend back.

The girls left me at the bus stop and, after making me swear ("On my Jimmy Choos," Amy had declared, to tell them everything, drove off to meet up with Rose's brother, Bruce, and his friends.

I checked my phone, **13:48**. He wouldn't be here for another twelve minutes. Sticking my earphones in, I lost myself in the brilliant lyrics of Bruce Springsteen as I waited for him.

I glanced at my phone again, **14:04**. Maybe he couldn't find his keys. Numerous were the times that I'd watched him turn his flat upside-down only to find them in his pocket.

**14:19**, maybe he couldn't get his car to start.

**14:32**, did he get lost?

**14:37**, lost his watch?

**14:42**, forgot? I texted him. No reply.

**14:48**, didn't want to come.

**15:00**, lied to me.

**15:20**, stupid, stupid Aria.

I stood up and began pacing. What was I supposed to do? It was a two hour walk back to the school and forty to the nearest shop. The bus only ran twice a day so I'd missed it.

It crossed my mind briefly to call the girls but I didn't think I could bear an even more wounded pride.

So, when the clock hit **15:48** and I'd waited two hours, I began my journey back to the school. The fire on the balls of my feet from the heels I had so carefully picked for him were a fierce reminder of my stupidity, my naivety, my love for the man who'd thrice broken my heart. Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice, shame on you; fool me three times, fuck you.

A silver car appeared up ahead, looming like a mirage on the horizon. It was him, I knew it was. I kept walking, staring stubbornly ahead as he pulled up beside me and got out.

"Aria," he called. I kept walking. "Aria, wait." His hand wrapped around my upper arm, halting my movement. His fingers overlapped. "I'm sorry I'm late." I scowled. "Will you get in the car, please?"

I looked up ahead of me at the vast stretch of road and took in the lava-like pain at the bottom of my feet. My options were pretty limited so with an exaggerated sigh, I followed him into his car.

He didn't start the engine. It reminded me of the rain and our kiss. We sat in silence on the edge of the road. I was still furious with him.

He turned towards me.

"I got held up at school," he said.

"And you couldn't have texted?"

"No, I couldn't have."

"Why?"

"I was talking to Madison Mayhew."

"Are you seeing her as well?" I didn't mean to say that. It was the anger, the embarrassment, the pain in my feet.

He turned to face forward, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel so that I could see the white of his knuckles. His jaw was clenched.

I laid my hand on his arm, feeling the muscle beneath.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I didn't mean that."

"Then why did you say it?" He faced me, hurt evident in his eyes as they met mine.

It was a good question.

"I don't know," I replied, "I guess I'm just sick of this."

"Sick of me?"

"Sick of us."

* * *

><p><strong>Right, well I still have a bit of planning to do and a hell of a lot of writing to do. The next chapter will be up around Wednesday - It's quite heavy on the ol' Ezria so I think we'll need it to cheer ourselves up a bit after an episode with *shivers* Jason.<strong>

**Review and I'll _lend_ you Ezra. Only for a couple of hours though, he misses me.**

**-Katie x**


	13. Arms

**Sorry it's late! I was typing it up at 2am this morning but I got such a bad head ache and had to stop. Sorry :(**

**I have two things to say about Tuesday night's (wednesday morning's for me) episode: **

**1- Jason can fall off a cliff for all I care. **

**2- Do you remember when Ezra said he went to Ireland to see where Joyce and Beckett began? Yeah? Well, Ulysses was written around 10 minutes from my house. Oh yeah, Ezra was near me. (Sort of).**

* * *

><p>"<em>I hope that you see right through my walls,<br>I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling.  
>I'll never let our love get so close,<br>You put your arms around me and I'm home."_

* * *

><p><strong>EZRA'S POINT OF VIEW:<strong>

"Sick of us," I repeated, unable to believe my ears. Had she felt like this before or was it only because I was late? My hands fell from the steering wheel. My fingers were stiff from the vice-like grip I had held on it. I flexed them as I waited for her explanation.

"Of our situation," she said. Her anger was gone; I could tell by the way she spoke. She was more resigned now. "It's not fair. Something's always getting in the way of us: my parents, school, ex-girlfriends, _Madison Mayhew. _I just wish that we could be together normally."

What was I supposed to say to that? I was supposed to be a writer and, for once, I had no words, no quote, no inspirational speech.

"Me too." She nodded at my weak reply. "So..." I said, suddenly needing to know what this mean for us. Did she want to end it? I'd told her that I'd fight for her, did she want me to?

"So..." She said. It became clear that she was waiting for me to decide.

I loved her. There was no decision unless she wanted to make one.

"Let's just... go to the bar, okay?" I held my hand out to her and prayed that she couldn't see it shaking.

It felt like hours, although it was probably less that a minutes, before her fingers slipped through mine.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>I drove the rest of the way without dropping her hand. It crossed my mind that she should probably be hiding in the back in case we crossed paths with somebody from the school but pushed that idea to the side immediately. Reminding her of our situations wasn't going to help anybody.<p>

We ended up at a bar that looked like it hadn't seen a customer in years. I didn't care; it could have been a port-o-potty for all I cared. I was with Aria, that's all that mattered.

"Ezra," she said as I reached for the handle. I realised I was still clutching her hand and dropped it sheepishly.

I reached for the door handle again but she placed a halting hand on my arm.

"Can we go somewhere? You know, just the two of us? I can't bear the idea of hiding right now."

I didn't tell her that it was highly probable that we'd be the only two in the bar, only nodded and took back her hand. And together, we drove.

* * *

><p>"That's more like it!" I watched as her face lit up. I'd taken her into the mountains and together we discovered this secluded part of the river.<p>

I set down the bad containing the chips, chocolate and water we'd purchased in a gas station on the way.

It was 5p.m., we had three hours to get back to school as we needed to be back before her roommates who would be back at the 8.30 curfew. It would take an hour to get back so we really didn't have that much time to spend here.

Aria made her way to the rocks. She slipped off her heels and dipped a toe into the water.

It was nearing mid-October now so it hardly warm. I expected her to withdraw from the river immediately but instead she let out a barely audible sigh and sat down, letting her legs dangle in the water below.

I stayed where I was for a moment, content to watch her. She threw her head back, her hair, a deep red from the sun, falling around her slender shoulders. She was beautiful. She was amazing. She was _mine._

She looked up as I took a seat next to her and slipped my feet into the icy cold water, having removed my battered converse and rolled my dark jeans up around my knees.

"Thank you," she said, placing a hand on mine with a smile, "For taking me here." I loved her smile.

"You're welcome," I replied, "Thank you for coming here with me."

"You're welcome."

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, happy to be together with these beautiful, serene surrounding, at least for now.

After about twenty minutes, she pulled her hand away and stood up.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, standing up beside her and indicating to the bag of junk food.

She didn't answer; she seemed to be contemplating something.

Suddenly, she leant down and grabbed the hem of her dress, whipping it over her head. I barely had time to catch a glimpse of her mismatched underwear before she took a running leap into the water.

When she came back up, she was gasping for air.

I was still speechless and frozen to the spot. I'd never been faced with so much _Aria_ before.

"Okay," she rasped, wading to the edge. She looked like a water Goddess. "That was colder than I'd planned it to be."

"I'll say," I laughed, "You're going to catch your death in there. What exactly were you thinking?"

"That you'd jump in and rescue me."

"Do you need rescuing?"

That's the thing with Aria and I, we're both shameless flirts.

"Most definitely," she said, swimming further out into the river.

"Well tough," I said, "Because there's not a hope in hell that I'm getting into that water. Pneumonia is not something I feel like having right now."

Aria pouted and swam back to the edge. She rested her chin on her folded arms, looking every-bit like an enticing mermaid siren.

"Please?"

I shook my head, unable to prevent myself from licking my lips as a water droplet trailed down the side of her face and curved under her chin.

She pushed back from the side suddenly, moving until she was bobbing around five feet from the edge.

"Ezra?" she called, smiling devilishly at me.

"Yes, Aria?"

"I love you."

I groaned, now she was playing dirty.

Standing up, I tugged off my hoodie and t-shirt. She held my gaze as my hands went to the zip on my pants. The second they pooled around my feet, I kicked them back and swan-dove into the river beside her.

The icy water shocked my bare skin as I swam towards the surface. I could see her near-naked body kicking beneath the surface, the rays of light breaking and dancing around her legs. Her mismatched purple bra and navy panties sent a thrill through me like none I'd ever felt before.

She was smiling when I broke through the surface, gasping and shaking water everywhere.

"Holy crap, that's cold!" I exclaimed. Aria laughed and nodded as we swam closer to one another.

We stopped when there was no more than a foot between us.

Aria reached up and a hand and brushed my bangs from my forehead. A fresh wave of goose bumps rose on my skin from the electricity in her touch and I shivered.

My hands went to her hips, pulling her close so that there was no more space between us. There was no denying the effect her body was having on me.

"I love you, Aria," I told her as I brushed my nose along hers.

She sighed, her sweet breath filling my senses, "I love you, too, Ezra."

Holding her gaze, I waded us towards the edge of the water. We found a ledge to perch Aria on and she wrapped her legs around my waist. My feet barely touched the bottom but I felt I might explode if I didn't kiss her right then.

Our lips were only an inch apart and I could feel her quick breath on my face.

I brushed them together once, twice, and three limes, lightly capturing her bottom lip with my teeth on the third.

I heard her mutter, "Tease," when I pulled back. She didn't leave me any time to respond before she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my mouth back to hers.

The feeling of her lips on mine spread heat like molten lava through my bones, banishing the arctic chill of the river. I felt like I'd never be cold again.

She pulled back, gasping in air, and I moved to press wet, open-mouthed kisses along the side of her neck, making my way back to her mouth. There were water droplets still clinging to her clavicle and I couldn't stop myself from trailing my tongue along it. She tasted like rain and salt and something so distinctly _Aria_.

With a moan, I recaptured her lips, intent on making her feel exactly what she made me feel.

This time when we both pulled away, panting heavily, I noticed her lips were a little purple, albeit swollen.

"Look at you, you're frozen," I said, moving my hands from her waist to her arms, rubbing up and down to try and heat her up with friction.

Aria's only reply was a sneeze.

"Come on," I said, "Let's get you warmed up."

* * *

><p>I found a blanket in the boot of my car and wrapped Aria up in it as we made our way back to the school, heating on full-blast.<p>

"It seemed like a – a good – good – ACHOO! –idea at the time," she sniffled from her place in the back seat. She was lying across the three seats to avoid being seen by anybody from the school.

"Mmh," I replied.

"You can't say you regret it, though?" Another rush of heat made its way through my body as I remembered the touch of her lips and the swipe of her tongue.

"No, I don't," I said, "I just hate that you're sick because of it." We pulled into the drive up to the school and I parked a safe distance away. I turned around to look at her and laughed at the site of her face peeking out from beneath the blanket and my hoodie.

"I'm sorry, Ezra," she said, pulling a hand out from beneath the shabby, tartan blanket and stretching it out to wards me.

"For getting sick?" I asked, taking her hand in two of mine and attempting to rub some heat into it.

"For ruining our date."

"Aria," I said, "You did not ruin it. If anything, I ruined it by being late."

She considered this for a moment.

"True, call it even?" I laughed and nodded. She pulled her hand from mine and we fist-pumped.

"I love you," I said.

She smiled, "You, too."

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><p><strong>I hope that you liked it! Now, for the first time since I began uploading this, I've caught up with myself in terms of what I have written. I've not got the next chapter written but I promise I'll have something up ASAP. I'm going to say Sunday.<strong>

**Also, I would just like to clarify that I know nothing about the American Education System so I don't know if Senior Year in High School is as hard as 6th Year here... So correct me if I'm way off. **

**Katie x**


	14. Secret

**Right, yes, I realise it's a little late but this was a very busy week for me and before I knew it was...well, almost a week since I'd said the new chapter would be up. My bad.**

**But, to try and make it up to you, this is the longest chapter yet and is quite Ezria filled. Except for the end... but you'll get to that later. Just remember - this is never NOT going to be an Ezria story. **

**I'm quite nervous for this chapter because I've never written Spencer, Hanna or Emily before. I hope I did a good job! Please review and let me know!**

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><p>"<em>Got a secret, can you keep it? Swear this one you'll save.<br>__Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave.  
><em>_If I show you, then I know you won't tell what I said.  
><em>_Because two can't keep a secret if one of them is dead."_

* * *

><p>In the weeks following our first date, Ezra and I managed to work something out and we began to see more of each other. Neither of us wanted to go back to how we'd been when we first got back together so we worked harder to ensure that it didn't happen.<p>

A routine, of sorts, was established. I'd go to his quarters before class most days and he'd check whether coast was clear to go in. If not, we'd talk after English (or text during). It wasn't ideal, but it worked for us.

I spent every second Saturday with him so that no suspicion was raised and we'd spend every Sunday in the Library under the pretence that he was helping me write an essay for college.

Suddenly, after what seemed like no time at all, it was Thanksgiving, and I was going home to see my family and the girls. I hadn't seen Hanna, Emily and Spencer since Ian Thomas was charged for Ali's murder and A's messages had stopped. It would be nice to grab a cup of coffee with them without having to constantly look over our shoulders.

Pulling up outside my house was surreal. I'd been there during summer vacation but this was different. This time I was happy, this time I had Ezra to go back to.

My mom was waiting by the door with Mike when the taxi pulled up. We weren't as close since they sent me away and I missed being able to talk to her. She had always felt more like a friend than a mom.

During the summer, I had talked to her only when it was absolutely necessary. My Dad, too. They gave me space, figured I'd come around eventually but I hadn't. They didn't seem to comprehend what they had done. They'd nearly separated me from my first (and hopefully only) love.

"Hey, mom," I called, once the Taxi had left, "Hi, Mike."

Mike only nodded, the ever-present moody look on his face unwavering, and turned to go back into the house. My leaving had affected him a lot, too. He was so young and everything was changing around him. I'd have to try harder with him.

I gave my mom a hug as I made my way to the door, lugging my suitcase behind me.

"Hi, honey," my mom said, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. She wanted things to go back to normal as much as I did, "Good trip?"

"Yeah, it was great," I replied, thinking back to how I'd talked to Ezra on the phone for the whole journey. He was going to New York to see Hardy and his parents. My mom gave me a funny look and I hastily added, "I mean, smooth, no traffic..."

She nodded and led me into the house, carrying my bag for me. She left it at the end of the stairs and turned to face me.

"Well, dinner won't be ready for another couple of hours, why don't you go upstairs and get settled in?"

"Great, thanks, Mom." I smiled at her before ascending the stairs, dragging my case behind me. My bedroom door was closed when I got to it. Pushing it open, I was not prepared to be engulfed in three pairs of arms at once.

"Aria!"

I pulled back to the beaming faces of my three best friends. For a moment it felt like nothing had changed and that it was just a regular weekend at home with them but so much had changed, and everything was so much better. There was no A, no mystery and I had Ezra, the love of my life, to go back to.

"Hey, guys," I said, shooting them a huge grin, "It's so, so good to see you. I've missed you!" They engulfed me in a group hug once more and it felt like everything was falling back into place.

"We've missed you, too, Aria," Emily said, releasing me and moving to sit on my bed.

"So, much!" Spencer added, handing me a coffee.

"Like, enough to make me want to consider moving to the middle-of-nowhere to see you!" Spencer shot Hanna a look at this but I only laughed. It was so great to be able to see these guys again.

I took a sip of my coffee and sighed, "She's right; it is in the middle of nowhere. You have to drive for at least an hour to get anywhere worth being!"

"What about the boy's school? Is that close?" I rolled my eyes, trust Hanna to want to be filled in on the boys straight away.

"Yeah, it's pretty close, I suppose. My roommate, Rose, has a twin who goes there."

"What's he like?"

"Yeah, he's cool. I hang out with him sometimes. I think he likes me," I told them. In fact, I knew that Bruce liked me, he wasn't exactly secretive about it but I told him that I had a boyfriend here, in Rosewood.

"And do you like him?" Spencer asked.

"As a friend. What's going on with you and Toby?"

The girls and I spent the next hour filling each other in on everything that had happened since I'd gone back to West Virginia.

At around three, we were interrupted from our discussion of Prom by a shrill ringing from my cell. I glanced at the caller I.D. and couldn't help but smile.

"Aria's blushing!" Hanna squealed as I stood up and headed towards the door.

"I'll be back in a sec," I told them, pressing 'accept' and shutting the door behind me at the same time.

"Hey," I said, tip-toeing my way into the bathroom.

"Hey, you," came Ezra's voice from the other end of the line, "Is it safe to talk?"

"Not really," I replied, locking the door and sitting down on the edge of the bath, "I'm at home in the bathroom and the girls are waiting in my room."

"Oh, will I ring you later then, when I get to New York?" I could hear the disappointment in his voice and grinned. We'd only got off the phone to each other two hours ago.

"Sure, I'll text you when I can talk. I miss you."

"Aria, you saw me this morning."

"I know," I said, thinking back to our rather vigorous make-out session on his couch before I left, "But that was _hours_ ago."

"True," he reasoned, "I miss you, too. I hate my quarters without you and I'm not leaving for New York for another hour."

"I wish that I was there with you," I admitted.

"Oh, yeah? And what would we be doing?" I loved it when he got like this. If there was one thing Ezra Fitz could do, it was flirt. Well, two things: flirt and write.

"Well, _I'd_ be reading some of your writing and _you'd_ be trying not to stare at how hot I look in a uniform."

"Is that all?"

"Well, what do _you_ think we'd be doing, Mr Fitz?"

"I like to think that you'd be sitting here beside me and that I'd reach across and-"

There was a loud bang on the bathroom door, interrupting whatever amazing thing Ezra was about to describe.

"Aria! Come on, you've been on the phone for agggeess." The voice of Hanna Marin blasted through the door, killing the mood immediately.

"We'll finish this later, I have to go."

"Okay, talk to you later. Love you."

I grinned before replying, "You too."

I hung up regretfully and caught sight of myself in the mirror, I was still grinning like an idiot. When the door banged again, I went to unlock it. The moment it opened I was greeted by the faces of my three best friends, all looking guilty.

"Were you guys listening?" I asked, worried that they might have heard something about Ezra.

"No," Spencer said a little too quickly. I rolled my eyes and brushed past them into my room.

They followed and shut the door behind them. There was silence.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, sitting myself down on the bed and taking off my boots. They killed my feet but gave me the height advantage I needed when kissing Ezra.

"Who were you talking to?" Emily asked, folding her arms so that she looked like one of the cops who had interviewed us about Ali.

"Amy," I lied, "Why?"

"You called her 'Mr Fitz'," Spencer pointed out.

"So, you _were_ listening," I said, shooting them a glare.

"Well, duh," Hanna laughed, "So, who was it?"

My mouth opened and closed a few times as I tried to come up with some sort of explanation. Could I tell them? _Should_ I tell them? They deserved to know, after all, they still thought that my parents had sent me away because of all the Alison drama. I looked down at my hands as I thought. Finally, I decided. They were my best friends and I trusted them more than anything, they could keep my secret.

"It was Ezra Fitz," I told them, looking up from my hands to gauge their reactions. Three sets of eyes were wide.

"As in Mr Fitz, our former AP English teacher, Ezra Fitz?" Spencer asked. I nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Why was he ringing you?" Emily asked, "I thought he moved away."

"He did," I replied, "He moved to West Virginia."

"Oh, my God!" Hanna exclaimed, "We've been stuck with fudging Miss Nolan, a first class a-hole, while you've been blessed with the presence of Mr Fitz the whole time? That is so not fair."

"Hanna, focus," Spencer scolded, "By the looks of it, Mr Fitz isn't _just_ Aria's teacher." She turned to me and I looked down, uncomfortable with all the looks they were giving me, "Am I right?"

I nodded slowly.

"How long have you been seeing him?" Emily asked.

I was about to answer when I heard my Mom calling me for dinner.

"Look, guys, I can't talk about this right now," I replied, "I have to go have 'family time' but how about we all meet at the Grill for coffee later and I'll tell you everything."

"Better yet, why don't you all stay at mine?" Spencer asked, "My parents are out at a party and won't be home until late."

"Sounds good."

* * *

><p>I rang Ezra as I made my way over to Spencer's after dinner. My parents had asked me a million and one questions about my school and friends and teachers. I'd stumbled on my words a bit when they'd asked me about my English teacher but they let it drop. I figured they were as reluctant to bring up Ezra as I was so they didn't push when I'd told them that I still had Miss Callaghan from last year.<p>

He answered on the first ring.

"Hey, that was fast," I laughed.

"I was actually just about to text you!" He said, "I was wondering when you'd call."

"Sorry, things got pretty intense with the girls and then I had to have 'family time'."

"Intense? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," I lied, "They were just asking questions about who I was talking to in the bathroom."

"And what did you tell them?"

I couldn't tell him, he'd never trust me again. I couldn't ruin what we'd so carefully reconstructed.

"That it was just Amy calling," I said, before adding, "They know you teach at my school, though."

"How?"

"Well, they heard me say 'Mr Fitz' so I couldn't exactly deny that you were in the conversation. Are you angry?"

"No, I'm not angry," he said, "I just wish that I was there with you."

"Me, too," I replied with a smile, "But, hey, only six months until I graduate and we, Mr Fitz, are officially legal."

"Can't wait," he said, "I'm taking you on a trip the second you're out of school."

"Is this just an excuse to see me in a bikini?"

"Maybe."

We both laughed and, if it were possible, I felt myself fall a little bit more in love with him.

"Listen, I have to go meet my brother and his fiancé," he said, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, I love you."

"Love you, too," he told me before hanging up.

I turned towards the house and saw three faces looking at me through the glass doors of Spencer's living room.

I waved at them and they ducked out of sight. You'd think with all the practice we had that they'd be better at spying.

The second I stepped through the doors I was bombarded with questions.

"Who was that?"

"Why was Mr Fitz calling you?"

"When did this all start?"

"How did you land something as fine as that?" I shot Hanna a glare at that last question.

I waited for their questions to die out before speaking.

"It started when I got back from Iceland..."

* * *

><p>My long weekend in Rosewood flew by and in no time at all, I was pulling into the drive of Augusta's School for Girls.<p>

I'd had a blast with the girls and it felt so amazing knowing that they were okay with my relationship with Ezra. In fact, they'd all told me how hot they thought the whole thing was, hot and 'self-destructive'. They were a little put out that I'd told Amy and Rose before I'd told them but I was just happy that I no longer had to lie to any of my friends, only my boyfriend – but I was trying not to focus on that.

Ezra had sent me a text saying that he'd be back around 7pm and to meet him in his room then. I didn't particularly want to wait around in my dorm until then, seeing as it had only just gone 6pm on the clock, so I decided to surprise him in his room.

After dropping my bag in my room and changing into something a little more romantic looking, I headed over to his quarters. Most of the school didn't return until the next day so luckily I didn't run into anybody on my way.

I let myself into his quarters and smiled when the scent of books and cologne and scotch filled my senses. This man could make me forget my own name without even being present.

Glancing at the cuckoo clock on the wall, I realised that he wouldn't be here for at least half an hour. With a sigh, a collapsed onto his couch and pulled the nearest book towards me. It was, of course, 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. He must know that book off by heart now.

I was just starting to read the first page when his phone started to ring. When I didn't answer, the answering machine kicked in.

"_Hey, Z, it's me. Just wanted to thank you for this weekend, I had so much fun. We should do it again some time. I'll come over around 7 to drop off your shirt and those CDs you wanted from our engagement party. See you later."_

The book fell from my hands at the same time as the tears fell from my eyes. Why was Jackie ringing him? Better yet, why was he with her this weekend? Why did she have his shirt? No, forget all that – _engagement party?_

I stood up and gathered by things. How could he lie to me like this?

The door clicked open and there he stood, Ezra Fitz dressed in a stupid vest with his stupid hair and stupid, blue eyes. He shut the door behind him and dropped his bags before catching sight of me.

"Wha- Aria, hey," he said, shooting me one of his stupid boyish smiles that made my heart pound despite the anger I was feeling.

"Go to hell," I spat, pushing past him to get to the door.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the room, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Did I miss something?" He asked.

"I don't know, did you? Check your machine, maybe that will clear things up for you." I shrugged out of his grasp and threw the door open before storming down the corridor.

My eyes were filled with tears and my head was bent down to the floor so I didn't see the person before I crashed into them.

"Oh, my God," I said, looking up. "I'm so -" The apology died on my lips as I came face to face with Jackie Molina.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it! And please, please review. Another reason I didn't update sooner was because I wasn't very motivated due to the lack of reviews! <strong>

**I'm going to try to get the next chapter up before Friday but I don't know how that's going to work out because two of my best friends turn 18 this week!**

**One more thing: Jason MUST die.**

**Katie x**


	15. White Blank Page

**Look, it's early! I quite like this chapter... it was written in one go at 3AM in the morning.**

**Also, I am in love with the song below. Just sayin'.**

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><p>"<em>Can you lie next to her and give her your heart, your heart, as well as your body? And can you lie next to her and confess your love, your love, as well as your folly? And can you kneel before the king and say ''I'm clean, I'm clean''? But tell me now where was my fault in loving you with my whole heart?"<em>

* * *

><p>"Oh, my God," I said, looking up. "I'm so -" The apology died on my lips as I came face to face with Jackie Molina. "You!" I gasped.<p>

"I'm sorry?" Jackie looked at me in confusion. She bent down to pick up her bag which she'd dropped when we collided. I caught sight of a blue oxford shirt inside it and had to close my eyes as a stab of hurt made its way through my heart.

When I opened them again, Jackie was watching me curiously.

"Wait..." she said, "Haven't I met you before?" She smiled sweetly at me.

"Yeah," I replied. My voice sounded weird. It sounded broken. I was broken. "We met at Homecoming, I think. You're Ez-" I swallowed. "Mr Fitz' girlfriend, right?"

Her smile faltered.

"Well, at the time, yes. But, between us girls, I think I'll have him back before long." She laughed, completely oblivious to the fact that she was talking to his _current _girlfriend. Although, I wasn't sure I would be calling myself that for much longer.

If I didn't hate this woman, I would probably find her really friendly. When I didn't laugh or smile with her, though, she raised her eyebrows.

"Are you okay?" She asked, "Sorry, what was your name again?"

"Aria," I told her, "And no, not really. Turns out my boyfriend was cheating on me with some skank last weekend."

The last part was a cheap shot but it made me feel better.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Boys are so stupid, especially at your age! What are you, fifteen? Sixteen?"

I could feel the anger bubbling in my stomach.

"I'll be eighteen next February, actually," I ground out through gritted teeth.

"Oh, sorry!" She smiled again, "But hey, looking young isn't a bad thing. When you're grown up, you'll take it as a compliment."

"When I'm grown up?" I repeated indignantly, "I'm not a fucking child!"

"ARIA MONTGOMERY!"

I span around and groaned. My principal, Mrs Curran, was standing outside her office with an outraged look on her face.

"Mrs Curran, I- I can explain- I-" I stuttered, trying desperately to come up with a story to tell her explaining why I just swore at a perfectly nice lady.

"Aria, here was just telling me about her boyfriend problems," Jackie said smoothly, talking over me. "I'm Jackie Molina, a good friend of Ezra Fitz." My eyes narrowed at Jackie's choice of words.

Mrs Curran walked forward briskly and shook Jackie's hand.

"I'm so sorry for Miss Montgomery's behaviour," she apologized, "I can assure you that our students are usually much better behaved than this. Cursing is not something we tolerate here."

"Oh, no, it's fine, honestly," Jackie said shooting a warm smile at me, "I remember what it's like to be her age, full of hormones and conflicting emotions. I'm sure Aria meant me no offence."

I had to bite my cheek to keep myself from saying something I'd regret.

"Still, I'll have to give you detention on Friday, Aria," Mrs Curran told me, "And I'd like to hear you apologise to Ms Molina."

My eyes bugged out of their sockets at Mrs Currans command. The detention I could deal with but the apology to the woman who'd been fooling around with my boyfriend?

"Sorry," I apologised, throwing in a sickly sweet smile at the end, probably giving away just how _un-sorry _I actually was.

Mrs Curran shook her head at my fake apology, before turning back to Jackie, who seemed oblivious to my insincerity.

"Is there something we can help you with, Ms Molina? Are you here to visit Ezra?"

"Yes, I am. Although, I'm afraid I'm not sure how to get to his room from here."

_I can kick you there, if you'd like, _I thought darkly, taking a moment to rake my eyes over her. She was dressed in a sheer, floaty dark-blue blouse with a white tank underneath and tight, dark jeans. On her feet were high-heeled, beige sandals. Oh, this woman was dressed to impress.

"Well, I'm sure Aria would love to show you to Mr Fitz' quarters. You know where they are, don't you, Aria?"

I was shaken out of my judging by the sound of my name.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, looking away from Jackie's perfectly manicured nails and up at my Principal.

"Would you be able to accompany Ms Molina to Mr Fitz' quarters?" Mrs Curran asked.

I should have said no. That would have been slightly less self-destructive of me.

"Sure," I found myself saying, "Follow me, Ms Molina."

I turned on my heel and strode towards the double doors which led to Ezra's room. I could hear Jackie's heels clacking on the floor as she followed me.

"You seem to know where you're going..." Jackie commented as I strode straight up to Ezra's door without any hesitation. She leant her shoulder against the wall on the right of the door as she surveyed me suspiciously.

"Mr Fitz has been helping me write an essay for a college application," I lied with a shrug.

I knocked loudly on the door without giving her a chance to reply. Some twisted part of my brain had taken over, making me want Ezra to suffer as much as I was.

The door flew open a second later revealing a much stressed looking Ezra. His hair was a mess like it always was when he ran his hands through it, something he'd obviously been doing a lot, and his vest was hanging open revealing his striped tie which was loosely hanging around his neck.

"Aria," he gasped, obviously not expecting it to have been me at his door. Before anybody could say anything he launched into a speech, "I'm so sorry you had to hear that, but I can explain everything. Jackie, she's nothing to me, I swear. I don't love her, not anymore. But I love you, Aria, only you. And-"

Jackie let out a startled gasp, interrupting Ezra's rant. I could do nothing but stare at him with wide eyes.

There was silence as Ezra stared at Jackie, looking like he couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. His mouth was hanging open and I had a strange urge to reach across and shut it for him.

"I have to go," I managed to choke out after what felt like hours of silence.

I forced my legs into motion and, with one last look at Ezra, headed back the way I had come, the sound of my heels the only noise to be heard besides my ragged breathing as I willed myself not to cry.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it, even though it is the start of many angst-filled chapters. Please, please, please review :) If you review, I'll tell Ezra to lift you up and kiss you like he did Aria in 2x09. <strong>

**Katie xx**


	16. Love Don't Roam

**Well, here we are :) I'm actually amazed at the response this story has gotten! The idea came to me quite randomly while I was sitting in work, I never thought that it would be this well recieved! Thanks so much to all of you! :)**

**This chapter is from Ezra's POV and starts off just before he gets to his room and Aria storms out. Please, enjoy :)**

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><p>"<em>I have wandered, I have rambled,<br>I have crossed this crowded sphere.  
>And I've seen a mass of problems that I long to disappear.<br>Now, all I have's this anguished heart, for you have vanished, too.  
>Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl, just what is this man to do?"<em>

* * *

><p>As I pulled up in the drive of Augusta's School for Girls, I couldn't keep my mind off the weird weekend I'd just had.<p>

Spending time with Hardy and my family has always been great, but when one's ex-fiancé turns up for Thanksgiving dinner, that's when things get awkward.

_*flashback*_

_I was just finishing up setting the table with my brother, Noah, when the doorbell rang._

"_Mom," I called up the stairs, confused as to who was making house calls when everybody was here already, "Are you expecting someone?"_

"_I can't hear you!" She sing-songed back down from her bedroom, I could hear the hair dryer going._

_The doorbell rang again and I made my way to the front door._

"_Jackie," I said in surprise, as the door swung open to reveal her. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Your mom invited me," she replied with a smile, handing me a bottle of scotch, "For the host."_

_She stepped past me into the house, a confidence I'd forgotten she had radiating off her._

_Shutting the door, I shook my head, the familiar feeling of guilt settling in my lower abdomen as I thought of Aria. Would she ever be able to walk through these doors like that?_

"_Are okay, Z?" Jackie asked, shaking me out of my trance. I realised I had been staring at the front door for the past minute or so. I turned, a fake smile plastered on my face._

"_Perfect. Can I take your coat?"_

_*end flashback*_

I made my way up to my room, my head full of thoughts of Aria. How would she react when I told her about the weekend? Should I tell her?

She still thought that Jackie and I had met last summer. She had no idea about the history we shared together. I was just so panicked that she wouldn't take me back that I lied to her. I've regretted it ever since but there's never the right time to tells somebody something like they. 'Hey, you remember my ex-girlfriend that I was with when I told you I loved you? Yeah, we were engaged for a few months before I knew you and I've never told you.' Somehow, I knew that wouldn't go down too well.

With a sigh, I stepped through the door into my room. Aria wouldn't be here for another few minutes so it would give me time to figure out what I was going to say to her.

Instead, however, I came face to face with the girl in question. She was dressed in a short dark grey and red dress with a pair of red heels. I smiled, I love when she dresses up for me.

"Wha-" What are you doing here? I was about to say but decided that would be rude, "Aria, hey!"

She didn't smile back, didn't walk forward and kiss me. She just shot me a filthy look and grabbed her purse from the coffee table.

"Go to hell," she told me, bumping into my shoulder as she tried to get to the door.

I grabbed her arm, unwilling to let her go without an explanation. There was nothing I was worse at than trying to figure out what I'd done to upset her and Ella hadn't been kidding when she'd told me about frostbite.

"Did I miss something?" I asked. Had I done something, said something? Was I late? I'd said seven, hadn't I?

"I don't know, did you? Check your machine maybe that will clear things up for you." She shook my hand from her arm before storming out of my room, slamming the door behind her.

I stood frozen to the spot for a moment, trying to comprehend what was going on. The light on my machine was blinking, showing that I had a message. What could Aria have heard that would make her so mad? Unless it was... no... _Jackie._

I dropped my keys on the floor as I ran to the machine, hitting the play button with perhaps a little too much force.

_"Hey, Z, it's me. Just wanted to thank you for this weekend, I had so much fun. We should do it again some time. I'll come over around 7 to drop off your shirt and those CDs you wanted from our engagement party. See you later." _

Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap.

My hands went to my hair, twisting and tugging it as I tried to come up with a solution. Aria probably heard what Jackie said in the worst possible context when, in fact, Jackie had only borrowed my shirt after she spilled wine on her top at dinner. It was completely innocent. And as for the fun weekend, we did have a good time catching up but I let her know from a very early stage that I wasn't interested in picking up where we'd left off.

I collapsed onto my couch, unbuttoning my vest and loosening my tie. I felt like I was suffocating.

What did I do now? Aria was probably in her room and there was no way for me to go see her without raising suspicion. I thought about texting her but didn't think I could take hard evidence of her ignoring me.

That was so not how I wanted her to find out about my previous engagement with Jackie. Hell, I wasn't even sure I ever wanted her to find out.

I had loved Jackie and, deep down maybe I still felt something for her – she was my first love, after all, but anything I may have felt for her paled in comparison to what I feel for Aria now. She's the person I was born to be with.

I can't believe I screwed this up – again.

My phone beeped in my pocket and I pulled it out hastily, foolishly hoping that it would be Aria.

**Be there in a few, Jackie xxx**

I flung the phone at the wall, not caring when it fell to the ground and fell apart.

Forcing myself to get up, I started to pace around the small room. This was such a twisted, tangled mess. Why couldn't Jackie just do us all a favour and stay gone?

A few minutes later, there was a loud knock on the door and I raced towards it, fully prepared to give Jackie a piece of my mind. Throwing it open, my heart constricted.

It was Aria.

"Aria!" I gasped. What was she doing here? Did she forget something? I realised I didn't care, I needed to explain that stupid voicemail to her. "I'm so sorry you had to hear that, but I can explain everything. Jackie, she's nothing to me, I swear. I don't love her, not anymore. But I love you, Aria, only you. And-"

There was a startled gasp and for the first time, I realised that we weren't alone. Bracing myself, I turned slowly to see Jackie standing there, her eyes as wide as mine felt.

Not. Good.

How long had she been standing there? Judging by her face, she'd obviously heard everything.

I'd just potentially ruined my entire relationship in one go.

"I have to go," Aria breathed, making me turn my attention back to her. I wanted to make her stay, letting her go would only make things worse in the long run but it was as if I had swallowed my tongue. I could only watch her leave, the sound of her ragged breath piercing my heart with every retreating step she took.

Once she was gone, and the double doors at the end of my hall had closed, Jackie stepped in front of me, her hands on her hips and her eyes full of fury.

"A student, Ezra, really?" She asked, her voice high from anger. I'd always hated it when she spoke like that, as if I was a child who needed scolding.

When I couldn't supply an answer, she pushed past me into the room. I turned and shut the door, my mind still spinning.

"Well?" She asked after a minute's silence, "Aren't you going to explain yourself?" I didn't answer, I couldn't think of anything to say. "What were you thinking, Ezra? She's sixteen for crying out loud!" Jackie shouted.

"Seventeen," I said quietly, speaking for the first time in ages.

"What?"

"She's seventeen," I repeated.

"Oh, right, because that's so much better!" She threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "What? Does she make you feel young, again or something? You're almost twenty four, Ezra!"

"It's not like that," I spat, pouring myself a glass of scotch from the bottle Aria must have left on the counter, most of it missed the glass but I was passed caring, "I met her in Rosewood, right after you broke up with me. I didn't know what age she was and I didn't know she was my student. I thought it was wrong, too, at first but now I know that we are a lot more right than we are wrong."

"You're in a relationship with her?" She asked, "For how long?"

"Just over a year," I replied, taking a deep gulp of the burgundy drink, not up to explaining the complications of my relationship to her.

"So, you were still with her when we got back together?"

"Not exactly," I said cryptically, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, "But we're definitely together now. And I don't care what you say; being with her has always _felt_ right, even if you think that it's wrong."

"But, Ezra, it _is_ wrong!" She said, shaking her head at me, "And on so many levels. She's still in High School for a start! Do you know what would happen if the School Board found out? You'd go to jail."

"Do you think I don't know that?" I shouted, "Do you think that if I didn't love her completely that I'd risk something like this? My career? My future?"

I could feel myself spiralling, falling back into the person I had been after losing Aria the first time. The anger, the confusion, and the inability to see an end to the hurt, were resurfacing around me threatening to pull me under.

Jackie was watching me, her lips pursed and her cheeks sucked in. She looked like a bloody insect.

_*flashback*_

_I collapsed onto the couch beside Hardy, completely spent after Thanksgiving dinner with Jackie and my mom talking about me. Jackie kept hinting at how she was 'unattached' and looking for somebody who she could be 'comfortable with'. My mother, on the other hand, had decided that I was too old to be single and needed to find a nice girl to settle down with like my brother had. It was exhausting, and, on more than one occasion, I nearly found myself revealing my relationship with Aria just to make them shut up. If it wasn't for Hardy kicking me under the table I would have told them all when my brother had asked when I'd last spoken to woman who wasn't in a uniform._

_Hardy laughed as I took a long swig from my beer and shut my eyes._

"_Man," he chuckled, "I told you that you were screwed."_

_I reached over and punched him in the shoulder._

"_So, you're still with her, huh?" he asked._

_For the first time that night, I smiled. "Yeah, I am. And as corny as it sounds, I love her more than anything."_

"_Even more than you love Jackie-the-stick-insect?" We both laughed._

"_Aria's perfect, man," I said, "And I can't see myself living without her again."_

_*end flashback*_

"You love me, too," Jackie said, making me frown. Where had she gotten that idea? I tried to come up with a response and she must have taken my silence as something else because a second later she was in front of me, her hands going to the back of my neck as she pulled my lips to hers.

Kissing Jackie was nothing like kissing Aria. The fire that usually spread through my limbs whenever Aria so much as brushed her lips against mine was nowhere to be found, and once my brain caught up with me, I placed my hands on Jackie's shoulders and pushed her away.

"Jackie, stop," I said, taking a step back, putting more space between us, "You heard me before, I know you did. I love Aria. I loved you once but that was before I met her. I'm happy. We're happy."

She looked genuinely shocked for a moment before she regained her composure, an indifferent look upon her face.

"Doesn't look like it at the moment," she replied, snootily, nodding towards the empty scotch glass in my hand and the puddle of it on the counter.

"Well, that's between Aria and I," I said coolly, setting down the glass and walking to my door, opening it and standing back, "You should probably go."

"You know this can't end well, Ezra. Somebody is going to find out, and this little bubble of perfection you think you've created is going to burst." Her words were cruel and I had to force myself not to flinch.

"Goodbye, Jackie," I said, wanting her to leave so that I could call Aria and sort this whole mess out.

Jackie sighed and picked up her bag. She pulled out my shirt and the CD's that I had left at her place and dropped them on my couch.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she told me, striding towards the door. She stopped just outside my room and turned to face me.

"I don't," I responded, "But Aria's worth it."

Without leaving her time to add anything else to the conversation, I pushed the door closed.

The room felt eerily quiet as I looked around it. I found my phone in pieces on the floor and quickly reassembled it.

I punched in my pin and smiled as the familiar opening message Aria had programmed in appeared.

**Thinking of you, xo**

I pressed her on speed-dial and waited.

There was no answer and Aria's voicemail began to play.

"_Hey, this is Aria, leave a message after the beep. BEEEP." _**Beep.**

"Aria, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jackie, and I understand how it looks but I swear I never cheated on you. My mom invited her to dinner without telling me. And yes, I wasn't completely honest about my past with Jackie but I'll do whatever it takes to make this right, Aria, I promise." I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should hang up or not. "I love you," I added, "Bye."

I pressed the 'hang-up' button and dropped the cell onto the couch, my fingers itching to pick it up again and call as many times as it would take for her to answer me.

I'd really mess this up, but I meant it when I said that Aria was worth the fight. I was not going to lose her again.

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><p><strong>I really like Ezra's point of view... I don't have another one planned before the end of the story but maybe I'll squeeze one in.<strong>

**Please, please review :) It means the world to me :D Also, if you don't, I'll send Jason to take creepy pictures of you in your sleep. He seems to like doing that... :/**

**Katie x**


	17. White Flag

**Sorry it's been so long. I won't bore you with the details of my life but I just haven't had a lot of free time. Which isn't likely to change because I'm back at school in the morning for Sixth Year (The final and most stressful year in Irish schooling). I'll try have an update asap though :) Until then, enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>And when we meet, which I'm sure we will,<br>all that was there, will be there still.  
>I'll let it pass and hold my tongue,<br>and you will think that I've moved on."_

* * *

><p>It wasn't easy facing him in class the next day. I had returned none of his calls and deleted all of his messages. Part of me was aware of how childish this behaviour was but I just couldn't bring myself to talk to him. Even if he didn't cheat on me, he'd still lied. Before then, he'd been the one guy who'd never lied to me. Now, the trust was broken.<p>

I found myself zoning in and out of his lesson, my mind couldn't shake the image of Jackie and him together, kissing, laughing, enjoying the fact that they could be together in public without anybody so much as batting an eyelid. I felt the tears spring up in my eyes as an unwanted image of Jackie wearing his shirt came to mind.

Ezra had been sneaking glances at me throughout the whole class whereas I tried to avoid looking at him as much as possible. The images of him and Jackie were vivid enough without adding fuel to the fire.

"Okay," he said, wiping the chalk from his hands and smiling at us all, "I think that's it for the day. Revise your poetry notes tonight and begin your plan for the Frost essay. You can go."

There was the usual lunch-time scramble for the door and I nearly made it out when I heard him calling me.

"Miss Montgomery, can I see you for a moment, please?"

My shoulders slumped as I reluctantly returned to the room.

He waited until we were the only ones left before speaking.

"You didn't come over this morning," he said. My eyes narrowed.

"Is that all you can say?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to leave before the tears started.

He surveyed me for a moment, looking like he was choosing his words carefully. I waited on bated breath, unsure as to whether I wanted to hear what he had to say and even more uncertain as to whether I could believe it.

Just as he opened his mouth, there was a knock on the door and Madison Mayhew stepped through.

"Mr Fitz? Oh, hi, Aria," she said, smiling at me.

"What is it, Madison?" Ezra asked, smiling at her a little too forcefully.

"I was wondering if you could help with me with the Frost poem. I don't quite understand it." She held up her folder covered in hearts and I rolled my eyes. It was common knowledge that Madison Mayhew had a rather large soft part for Mr Fitz.

"Well, I'm a little busy with Aria right now, Madison. Maybe you could-"

"No," I said, cutting across him, "it's fine, Mr Fitz, really. I – I understand better now. You really... changed my perspective on things." He flinched and I knew he'd gotten the double meaning to my words.

"Aria," he began, but said nothing afterwards. What could he say, especially in front of Madison?

"I'll see you Wednesday, Mr Fitz." I gave him one last look before heading out the door, focusing all my energy on not punching Madison who was looking very pleased to be left alone with him.

There was still forty minutes left of lunch but I'd lost my appetite. Instead, I made my way to my next classroom. It was unlocked so I sat down in my seat, enjoying the silence that came with solitude.

The quiet calm only lasted for a moment though because a group of freshmen walked by wearing their blue shirts, as was required by uniform for everyone except seniors who wore white. The powder blue was very similar to Ezra's shirt and immediately my thoughts were back on him and Jackie.

He said he didn't love her. But he also said that they'd met last summer. They'd been engaged. They'd had an engagement party. She'd called him _'Z'._

He had a whole past that I knew nothing about and, if I hadn't have heard that message, probably never would have known about.

I didn't know if I wanted to be with somebody who could lie to my face so easily. And I don't care how hypocritical that sounds. I lie to protect him, not myself.

The bell rang and my classmates began to trickle in. Amy sat next to me with a sympathetic smile on her face.

"How're you doing, babe?" She asked. There was no point in hiding anything from her or Rose. When you shared a room, secrets were locked outside. They knew about Jackie and the voicemail, as did the girls back in Rosewood.

"As good as I can be, I suppose," I told her, giving her a half-smile.

"C'est, as we say, le shit," she whispered, adopting a terrible French accent as the French teacher walked in.

I suppressed a laugh and squeezed her hand in appreciation.

For the remainder of the class, Ezra was far from my mind as I focussed on verbs and tried not to laugh at the accent Amy seemed reluctant to drop.

* * *

><p>Wednesday rolled around quicker than I would have liked and in a last attempt to avoid him, I pulled a sickie. It wasn't something I was proud of but every time I so much as thought of him and her I felt the need to throw something.<p>

"You know," Rose said that night as she climbed into her bed, "You really should talk to him."

"I don't want to talk to him," I replied, "I can barely look at him."

"But you haven't actually heard his side of the story yet," she reasoned, "Avoiding him isn't helping anything."

I knew she was right, but that didn't stop me from avoiding him all day Thursday and ignoring him in class on Friday. The truth was that I was scared of what he would say, that my fears would be confirmed and I'd lose him, if I hadn't already lost him. By ignoring him, I was keeping things frozen, a habit that I just couldn't seem to break.

When the bell rang, signalling the end of class on Friday, I could tell that he wanted to talk to me but I wasn't ready yet. I needed more time to build up my defences. That and I had detention to get to. Typical, Jackie ruined my week, my relationship and my perfect record.

After grabbing a cup of coffee and an apple in the cafeteria, I made my way to the detention hall which was a drafty, old room that smelled like damp and socks. Or so Amy had said.

When I arrived there, however, it wasn't the cold that got my attention nor the stench (which, by the way, was exactly like damp and socks), it was the fact that Ezra Fitz was standing at the desk with his back to me as he unpacked his bag.

I groaned in frustration and he turned to face me.

"Aria? What are you doing here?" He asked, his eyes wide in surprise. I guess he hadn't looked at the detention list yet.

"Misconduct," I replied, taking a seat at the back of the class, getting as far away from him as possible.

"May I ask what you did?" He walked down the aisle until he was standing in front of my desk. For a moment my senses were overpowered by the smell of his cologne. I'd forgotten how amazing he smelled.

"I would've thought she would have told you," I said, not meeting his gaze.

"Who?" I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Jackie." My eyes met his and I noticed that they had gotten angry at the mention of her name.

"Aria, I've been trying to tell you, there's _nothing_ going on between Jackie and me. She's just a friend, not even that, she's just a woman that I used to date." I shook my head, not letting myself listen.

"You were engaged to her," I said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess I'm not someone who puts things that didn't work out on my résumé," he told me, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

_But you lied to me _I was about to say when another two students arrived for detention. Ezra straightened up and gave me a look which clearly meant 'this isn't over' before heading towards his desk.

The homework I had brought with me remained untouched for the entire two hour detention as I watched him work, or at least pretend to work. If one watched him for as long as I have been, one would realise that he had yet to change essay.

I was torn. My brain was telling me to end things and protect myself but my heart was telling me to fix it. I was so in love with him that I could barely breathe when faced with the idea of living without him again but the pain from being lied to was just as intense.

"Okay, you can go," Ezra announced at 5.45pm, "And don't let me see any of your faces in here again." I couldn't help but smile a little at his stupid joke.

I waited behind as the other seven students filed out of the classroom and down towards the canteen for dinner. He shut the door behind them before turning to me.

"We need to talk," he said, leaning against the door. I couldn't help but think he was trying to block my exit so that I couldn't run away from this anymore.

"Okay." I nodded and set my bag down, hoisting myself up onto a desk, "So talk."

"I met Jackie freshman year at the dorm, we dated on and off for two years. We got engaged in Italy a year before I met you but she broke it off because she wasn't ready for the commitment," he took a breath and walked over to me, stopping less than a foot away, "When you left, I was in a bad place, Aria, and Jackie was familiar. It was easy to be with her because she loves herself enough for both of us. I swear to you that I never cheated. My mom invited her to dinner and she spilled wine on her top."

"Was I your rebound?" I asked carefully, afraid of his answer, "When you split with her in Rosewood?"

"No," he assured me quickly, "No. But you did help me to get over her."

It suddenly hit me. Something that had never occurred to be before.

"Were you still in love with her when you met me?" I knew even as I said it that it was true.

He looked down, unable to meet my eyes.

"I wish I would have known that," I said, my eyes filling with tears. Everything we ever had was now tainted.

"Aria, there was not one moment when we were together that I was thinking about anybody but you," he vowed, reaching out to touch my face. The contact sent shivers down my arms.

"I'm not sure, Ezra," I said, moving my head back from his hands.

"About what?"

I took a deep breath.

"About us. I just... I can't get passed the fact that you lied to me. Were you ever going to tell me about her? We spoke every day, twice a day over Thanksgiving and you didn't mention her once." He looked down, ashamed, "I'm not comfortable being with somebody who can lie to me so easily."

His head shot back up and his wide eyes met my watery ones.

"Aria?" he asked, his voice low and wavering, "What are you saying? Are you..." He paused, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Then the words that I thought I'd never hear myself say passed from between my lips, "Yeah, I am."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't hate me. And review :) If you don't review I'll get Hannah's Granny to sort you out. And she doesn't seem like a woman to cross, so I'd watch out if I were you. DFTBA, Katie x <strong>


	18. Total Eclipse of the Heart

**Sorry, sorry, sorry! I never intended to leave such a gap between updates! I've just been really busy with going back to school (I'm in 6th year which is totally stressful!) I'm also Irish Prefect so I've been busy planning Irish club, because I'm cool like that :) Oh, and there may be a boy... ;)**

**Anyhows, this is Chapter 18 and I would have had it up a few hours ago but I couldn't find any lyrics that I was happy with!**

**Dedicated to Aisling, you will be dearly missed in Maths class. **

* * *

><p>"<em>Once upon a time, I was falling in love.<br>But, now I'm only falling apart,  
>There's nothing I can do,<br>A total eclipse of the heart.  
>Once upon a time, there was light in my life.<br>But, now there's only love in the dark  
>Nothing I can say<br>A total eclipse of the heart."_

* * *

><p><strong>THREE WEEKS LATER<strong>

Three weeks had passed since I broke it off with Ezra and, if I'd thought being here without him the first time was hard, it was nothing compared to the torture that was being able to see him and not have him.

I threw myself into my work as I had last time, spending hours in the library and writing in my journal until my eyes drooped and my hand began to cramp up.

The girls said that I was pushing myself to hard but they didn't understand that if I didn't keep moving that I would be crushed under the weight of his absence.

Facing him in class was the hardest. We had a sort of unspoken agreement not to acknowledge each other, which suited me just fine. But, there were moments when we'd both be trying to work and we'd look up to catch the other staring. The pain in his eyes that I saw was so familiar. I saw it in the mirror every morning.

There was no denying that my resolve to stay away from him was wavering. It was clear that he regretted lying to me and I missed him so, so much but the fear of heartbreak kept me from going back to him.

On the last day before the school broke up for Christmas holidays, I found myself waiting back after class, unable to go any longer without saying _something_ to him.

He was surprised, to say the least, when he looked up to see me standing on the other side of his desk.

I bit my lip, suddenly nervous.

"Yes, Aria?" he asked, his teacher-voice well and truly in place. When I didn't answer, he sighed. There was annoyance in his bright, blue eyes. "Look, Aria, you can't have it both ways. If you don't want anything to do with me then you're going to have to start treating me like a teacher." The conversation brought me back to one we had three months ago in the library, where'd I'd said the exact same thing to him.

I felt my face get red as I nodded, averting my eyes from him, and headed to the door.

I was half-way through it when he called me back.

"Aria, I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to snap at you, I just-" he paused, "I don't know.

"Wow," I teased as I turned back to face him, momentarily forgetting that I shouldn't be playful with him anymore, "A man of words at a loss of what to say? Shame on you."

He chuckled, "It's not such a rare thing when I'm around you." He blushed the moment the words left his lips and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from grinning.

There was a lengthy, awkward silence; longer than one we had ever shared before.

"I was wondering how you were?" I said, walking back into the classroom. He raised an eyebrow, making me regret asking him. Was I still allowed to ask him things like that?

"I'm not going to lie," he said, sitting down behind his desk, "I've been better."

"Yeah, me, too," I admitted.

It was silent again.

"Aria-" he began at the same time I said, "Ezra."

We laughed nervously and I gestured for him to continue. He looked down at his desk, hesitating.

"Aria, I'm moving."

My first thought was that I should have spoken first. My second was that why wasn't I dead? Because those three words, twelve letters, had made my heart freeze, and I doubted that it would ever recover.

"You- you're..." Was it me or was the room spinning? I slumped back against a desk in the front row. He watched me as I tried to articulate a comprehendible sentence. As syntax failed me, I whispered, "When?"

"My stuff is packed," he said, "I leave tomorrow after the students." I nodded dumbly, my head spinning slightly.

"Where?"

"New York. I got offered a permanent position teaching English in a High School there."

We were supposed to move to New York together once I finished senior year.

"And were you ever going to tell me?" The anger was quick and all-consuming. It was more towards me than him; he was clearly leaving because of me. I'd driven him away with my own stupid selfishness and jealousy.

"I'm telling you now, Aria," he said calmly.

"Only because I came to you," I spat back.

"Well, what did you expect? You've been avoiding me for nearly a month, Aria."

He was right, of course, I had nobody to blame but myself for this whole disaster, train wreck of a relationship.

"Are you leaving because of me?" I blurted out, already knowing the answer but for some, unknown reason needing him to say it.

He sighed and I was transfixed on his eyes, I could almost see his brain working in over-drive behind them, trying to choose his words carefully.

"Yes, and no," he said eventually, "Yes, as in it's too hard to see you every day and not be able to hold you, and no because this was only ever going to be a temporary job. Believe it or not, West Virginia isn't exactly my dream place to live." He smiled his boyish, winning smile at me but it only made my eyes fill with tears.

"Please, don't leave," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears, "Please."

"Aria..." His voice was pleading. "Don't- don't make this any harder than it is."

I nodded, bowing my head.

"I'll miss you, Aria," he said, I saw his feet appear in front of me but couldn't bring myself to look up. "I really loved you and I'm sorry that I hurt you."

The tears spilled over and I looked up at him, hoping that he'd know how sorry I was, too. That I never wanted us to end, that I'd been blinded by jealousy.

He closed his eyes when he saw my tears.

"Ezra," I said quietly, begging him once more.

His eyes opened and I could see hurt in them, the pain and the utter confusion.

He's leaving.

He's going to be gone.

I'll never see him again.

This old flame was about to blow out.

I reached up and placed my hands on either side of his face, letting out a quiet sigh of relief when he didn't pull away.

"Aria..." he breathed out, the longing in his voice was almost palpable.

Without hesitation, I pressed my lips to his in a soft kiss. I could taste the salt from my tears as they fell and knew that he could, too. One of his hands grabbed the back of my head, pressing our lips harder together, while the other went to the small of my back, pulling me closer to him.

He pulled back after a few minutes of kissing me, and for once it was him brushing my hair from my face.

"Be happy, Aria," he said, "Live the life I know you can have." I was too heartbroken to say anything back, all I could do was watch as he stepped away from me, grabbed his satchel and walked out the door.

I had once thought that the strongest pain I'd ever felt was being torn away from him without as much as a goodbye but, oh contraire. Watching him walk out of that classroom, knowing that this was going to be the last time I saw him was like having my lungs torn out of my chest.

I knelt down on the floor, clutching my torso as the sobs threatened to break out of my body. I placed a hand over my mouth, silencing any noise that tried to escape.

This was my fault. Jackie may have pushed as away from each other but I'd torn us apart, ripped us right down the middle, and somewhere along the way pieces were lost because we no longer fitted together.

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><p><strong>I didn't really read over it properly so I'm really sorry for the amount of mistakes that are probably in it! Please review, I really want to get to 300 before the next chapter! Only 2 (maybe 3) left! Also, I plan on sending Jackie to your front door to blackmail you if you don't.<strong>

**Until next time, my pretties, **

**Katie x**


	19. Since I Told You It's Over

**Okay, nearly 300.. I'll make do with that )**

**Well, here's chapter nineteen :) I told you I'd try fit another Ezra's POV in and I just couldn't resist! Because I hadn't technically been planning having one it's not amazing or anything!**

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><p>"<em>Black and blue from the wind and the rain,<br>Said I'm sorry for the lies and the pain  
>I never ever meant to make you cry<br>If I could take it back, you know I would,  
>I wanna burn up and die."<em>

* * *

><p>EZRA'S POV<p>

_Aria is running towards me. We're in Rosewood in the corridor outside my old classroom. I start to sprint, too, and when I reach her it's as if we were never apart. I life her up and spin her in circles, my heart swelling with happiness. But, as I let her down and leaned in to kiss her, I got the shock of my life. It wasn't Aria I was holding, it was Jackie._

_A barely stifled sob alerted me to another presence in the hallway. Aria was bent double on the floor, her mascara running down her cheeks as she watched me embrace my ex-fiancée. _

"_ARIA!" I called, "Aria, no, it's not what you think!" I shoved Jackie out of my arms._

_She didn't appear to hear me because she only sat there, continuing to cry._

_I tried to run to her but Jackie was holding me back, her perfectly manicured nails digging into my biceps._

"_Jackie, let me go!" I pulled but, damn, that woman was strong. "ARIA!" I yanked harder and managed to break free but at the same time, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day._

_The hall flooded with students who, for some reason, were all headed towards me. The ell hadn't stopped ringing and more and more students came towards me._

_Aria was disappearing from view through the undulating student body but I wasn't going to let anyone get in the way of us anymore._

_I pushed and shoved, knocking people over and ignoring their cries of protest._

"_Aria!" I cried as I started to lose the battle, "Aria, please! I'm here!" The school bell got louder, drowning out my cried and bringing a fresh flood of students, strong enough to sweep me back with them and away from her._

I opened my eyes to find myself not in the hallway of Rosewood High, but staring up at the ceiling of my old bedroom in New York. The blaring noise I had been hearing was not the school bell but, in fact, was my alarm alerting me to start the day.

Christmas Day.

It was strange, usually on Christmas mornings I find myself reverting back to my childlike ways, always up early and anticipation a day of festivities, presents and too much food. This particular morning, however, my thoughts were only on one thing, one girl, one Aria Montgomery.

With a groan, I pulled my pillow over to cover my face. Was she up? What was she doing now if so? Should I text her? Did she get everything she wanted?

My thoughts strayed to the present I'd gotten for her, long before any of this stupid Jackie stuff had happened. Jackie. Just her name made my insides twist, and for a completely different reason to why they used to when I thought of her. If it wasn't for her and, to an extent, my mother, I'd still be with Aria. I'd be able to see her face light up, as I imagined it would, when I handed her my gift.

There was a bang on my wall.

"EZRA! Turn that damn thing off!" My brother, Noah, shouted through the wall. I took the pillow off my face and flung it towards the alarm, grinning when I heard the alarm crash to the floor and stop.

I sat up and threw my legs over the edge of the bed. A familiar, rectangular parcel caught my eye on the carpet and I picked it up. The red wrapping paper was smooth and cold. I wanted to fling it out the window.

Instead, I unwrapped it carefully, slowly revealing the black velvet of the box beneath.

I closed my eyes and imagined what Aria's face would have looked like if she was here to receive it. I imagined it against her pale skin and how I knew she'd play with it all day. God, I missed her.

I could still hear the sound of her stifled sobs that had come from my classroom as I walked away from her a few days ago. Every cell in my body was fighting to run back to her but for some reason I'd kept walking, straight to my room and straight to the fridge. That night I got more drunk than I could remember being in over a year. I just sat in my room drinking by myself and thinking about the beautiful girl I'd just lost for the third time.

My door banging open broke me from my reverie. My mother stood in the doorway, looking as elegant and as warm as ever.

"Merry Christmas, Ezra," she sang, I walking towards me.

"Merry Christmas, mom," I replied, allowing her to kiss me despite the fact the red would stain my skin. Aria used to do that to annoy me.

"What have you got there?" She asked, sitting down and taking the box out of my hand before I could hide it. "Oh, jewellery! Is there some lucky girl you're not telling me about?" She elbowed me softly before opening the box.

"Oh, Ezra!" She gasped as she looked down at the beautiful piece.

Inside the box as a delicate, antique gold locket with a two hearts engraved in the front. I watched her face carefully as she opened it up to reveal a picture and an engraving. The picture was of an elderly couple, the woman was grinning as her husband kissed her on the cheek. On the opposite side of the locket was engraved '_Happiness'._

"It's an antique," I explained, "I saw it in a shop window in Augusta and knew she'd love it." For some reason I wanted to tell my mom about her. I was sick of Hardy being the only one, and he'd hardly give me the comfort my mother could. "'Happiness' is our song, so I got the guy to engrave it for me."

My mother smiled warmly at me, "Are you going to tell me who the lucky girl is?"

I looked down at my hands, trying to come up with an explanation. I wanted to tell her, but where could I start. She spoke before I did.

"Or is she not in the picture, anymore?"

"We broke up a few weeks ago," I told her, my voice dripping with sadness, "I... She got jealous of Jackie and was upset when I didn't tell her that I'd spent Thanksgiving with her. Then Jackie turned up at the school and they didn't exactly see eye-to-eye. She stormed off and Jackie tried to kiss me. I told her to leave but I didn't talk to Aria for days. Also, we're kind of in two different places in our lives right now."

My mom nodded, "Aria... that's a pretty name. Oh, Ezra, I'm sorry I ever invited Jackie now. Why didn't you just tell me you were seeing somebody?" When I didn't answer, my mom took my hand, "Okay, I get it. You're not ready."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, squeezing her hand in mine. "And I will tell you, just... not right now."

"But, Ezra, there's something I have to tell you, and you're probably not going to like it..." My mom smiled nervously at me.

"What?"

"I was talking to Jackie the other day; she rang to invite us all to a charity event in that hotel off fifth on New Year's." I let out a sigh, this was not going to end well, I could tell.

"You didn't say...yes, did you?" I asked, already knowing that I wasn't going to get the answer I wanted. She only blushed and looked down, obviously upset at her actions. "It's okay, Mom." I squeezed her hand again, "It's not like we're going to be the only people there. I can avoid her."

We hugged for a moment before she pulled back and kissed my cheek, smacking her lips to make a big 'muahh' sound.

"Eugh, Mommmm!" I said jokingly, rubbing vigorously at my cheek to try and get the lipstick off.

With a laugh my mom kissed me again on the other cheek, before getting up and walking out of the room.

I sat there with a smile on my face for a while before I realised that this was the first time I had felt happy since Aria had stormed away from Jackie and I a month ago. Maybe I was starting to get over her... or maybe my Mom was just the greatest woman in the universe.

After a quick shower, I was starting to feel a bit more like myself again. The excitement at it being Christmas was starting to arrive and I dressed in a festive red shirt and green tie for the occasion. As I pulled out a pair of Rudolf socks from the drawer, a luminous green band buried at the bottom caught my eye.

I picked it up and stood frozen looking at it for a long moment. It was Aria's Esther bracelet that she'd left at my apartment the last time we were together in Rosewood. Just the thought of those days made my heart swell. I wanted them back so badly.

The sudden wave of misery was enough to make my sit down on my bed. I can't do this without her; I can't be whole if she's not here. I was barely aware of the single tear that fell from my cheek, landing on the bracelet.

I'd never felt her absence so fully before. After she'd left the first time, I was miserable but there was always some part of me that knew we'd find each other once more. Now that was gone. Aria was no longer the spark in my life; she was just an old flame and maybe it was time I extinguished her once and for all.

"Ezra! Your father's here!" My mother's voice rang throughout the house and I called down that I'd be there in a second.

Taking a moment to compose myself, I slipped the band on my wrist. She may not be here, but I was keeping her with me today.

* * *

><p>Christmas Day passed much as every Christmas does. Food, wine, music and presents. I loved it; I missed spending time with my family. But even though I was content, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing, or someone.<p>

As night time rolled around and my brother and father had passed out on the couch, I made my way outside and sat on the steps, a glass of scotch in one hand and my phone in the other.

I scrolled through the pictures until a came across one of Aria. It was taken from the side in such a way that you'd only know it was her if somebody told you. Her head was thrown back in laughter as I tickled her feet out of shot.

God, I missed her. I missed like I'd never missed anybody in my life.

"Hey, honey." I glanced up to see my mother making her way to me, her thick coat wrapped around her. "You okay?" She took a seat beside me and I handed her the phone.

"That's Aria," I told her, my voice thick with emotion.

"That's a very blurry one, do you have one better?"

I sighed and shook my head, "I couldn't really have pictures of her on my phone. Or anywhere for that matter."

"Why not, sweetie?"

"Aria and I... we met a long time ago. Just before I started in Rosewood High." I took a deep breath and my mom nodded for me to continue, "She was smart, travelled, beautiful... I needed to get to know her more than anybody I've ever met before. But, turns out, she was..." I hesitated, "She-"

"Ezra?" My Mom asked gently, "What is it?"

"She was my student; she was sixteen."

"Oh, Ezra, you poor dear!" she exclaimed. That hadn't been the reaction I was expecting. "So did you wait until she was eighteen to see each other?"

Ah, there's the flaw.

"No, mom, we were together for just over a year, we were in love. I just...I'd never met anybody like her – I still haven't." When my mother didn't say anything, I sighed, "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No, honey, I don't think you're crazy. A little reckless perhaps but you can't help who you fall in love with."

"Yeah," I breathed, nodding. I drained the rest of the scotch, letting the liquid warm my body.

"Does anybody else know?"

"Hardy knows, he's been pretty great about the whole thing. I mean, he had his doubts in the beginning but so did I. Oh, and Aria's parents know, too...sort of. It's a long story. And... Jackie, obviously."

"Jackie know?" My Mom gasped, "Do you think she'd do anything to try and hurt you?"

I hadn't really thought about this to be honest. There wasn't much she could do now anyway, we were already broken up.

"We're already broken up, Mom," I said, sadly, "There's not much else she can do to me."

"And you're really never going to see her again?"

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, if I knew what to say I'd say it," she linked my arm and rested her head on my shoulder. I chuckled bitterly.

"If I knew what to do, I'd do it."

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it :) Stay tuned for the next chapter which will either be the last or the second last chapter! <strong>

**Now review before I get angry.**

**-A**


	20. Cosmic Love

**I actually planned to have this up way, way before now but things got busy. Here are some of the things: class tests, essays, my job, school, my cousin's wedding, my brother had a house party, I had to clean up said party, I'm running an anti-Cyberbullying campaign and...yeah. There hasn't been much time for writing. **

**Which means, that this is NOT the last chapter as I have only written half of the ending as of now. This is the first half which I thought I'd give you so I'm not leaving you with nothing.**

**Enjoy, my Liars :) x**

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><p>"<em>The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out,<br>You left me in the dark.  
>No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight,<br>In the shadow of your heart."_

* * *

><p>"Aria, come <em>on!<em> We're going to be late!" The voice of my father rang out around the house, making me roll me eyes. We were going to a party in New York for some reason I didn't care to listen to. I didn't know why, it wasn't like a New Year was exciting or anything.

What had I to look forward to really? Never seeing Ezra again? Five months in Augusta without him? Moving to New York by myself after graduating? Not graduating in Rosewood?

I hoped there would be champagne that I could steal at this stupid party to make me forget all about him, just for one night.

I finished applying my mascara, gave myself a final once-over in the mirror and shot myself a fake smile before heading down to the car.

"You look lovely, sweetie," My mom said as I grabbed my coat from the rack. I was wearing an Alexander McQueen dress that they'd gotten me for Christmas. It was black and covered in safety pins, and was my baby. I had the usual chunky jewellery on with my black ankle boots.

With muttered thanks, I stepped out into the snow and made my way to the car where my Dad and Mike were sitting.

As we waited in silence for Mom to join us, I decided to find out a little more about the party we were going to.

"So, who's running this again?" I asked.

"A woman who lectures in Hollis," My Dad informed me, "She teaches Psychology."

My mom joined us in the car and I nodded, pretending to care.

"Her name's Jackie Molina."

My eyes bugged out of my head.

"What?" I gasped, shaking my head as if I could get the words to go back out of my ears.

"Her name is Jackie Molina," he repeated, turning to look at me, "Why, do you know her?"

"She used to be engaged to Ezra," I whispered before I could stop myself. The whole car froze as his name passed from between my lips. Nobody had mentioned him in a year.

My father's face was stony while my mother and brother's displayed shock and confusion. My own, I'm sure, was flushed red. There was silence for a few minutes before my father spoke.

"Well, we can't go _now," _he said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Not is _he_ might be there!"

"Byron, be reasonable," my mother said, placing a halting hand on his arm, "Aria said that Jackie is his _ex-fiancé_, she'd hardly invite him to an event. Besides, who knows where he is? He hasn't shown his face around here for months."

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying anything, from telling them how very likely it was that Jackie would invite Ezra as she's still very much in love with him and that Ezra was currently residing in New York, the very place we were headed.

My stomach churned with butterflies as I realised how promising the odds were that he'd be there tonight. Only, that meant that he wanted to see Jackie.

I pushed the thought to the side, if he told me they were over, they were over. Now all I had to do was convince him that we weren't.

"Dad," I said, "Ezra won't be there. They ended on really bad terms." I didn't exactly want to lie to them but I needed to get to this party.

"It's Mr Fitz, Aria," my Dad ground out, "He's not Ezra to you anymore."

"Dad, he was her boyfriend, she can call him by his first name," Mike pointed out, speaking for the first time. I smiled warmly at him until he added, "Plus, it's been over a year since Aria moved, he's probably got a new girlfriend by now, one his age and less annoying."

I punched him in the arm.

"Byron, let's just go, we're going to be late. If he's there, we can leave, okay?" I crossed my fingers as we waited for my Dad's response to my Mom's very reasonable words.

"Fine," he huffed, clearly not happy with the plan. I tried to contain my glee but I couldn't help the smile appeared on my face for a few seconds.

My phone beeped in my hand and I looked down to see a message from Mike.

**You might want to stop acting so obvious – you can tell from your face that you know he'll be there. You owe me for covering. **

As far as little brothers go, I was pretty sure I had one of the best.

* * *

><p>My heart was pounding as we pulled into our spot in the hotel car-park. In less than twenty minutes I could be in the same room as Ezra, the love of my life that I thought I'd never see again. And I was not letting him slip from between my fingers once more.<p>

My father had ignored anybodies attempts at small talk for the whole drive to New York. It made me sick to my stomach that they were so disapproving of the man I was in love with. I'd have to try and find a way to talk to Ezra without them seeing. It was risky but he's worth it, he always has been.

I wasn't even allowing myself to think that he wouldn't be there. He _had _to be there. The universe had taken so much from me: my trust in my father, my best friend, my youth, and my life in Rosewood; it had to give me this one final chance at happiness.

We made our way to the party in silence. I hate the way the one thing that made me the happiest in the world was something that seemed to tear my family apart.

Jackie greeted us at the door once we'd paid our entrance. She was wearing a blood red dress that was nipped in at the waist, accentuating her curvy figure. Her dark hair was curled lightly, similar to the way I wore mine.

"Professor Montgomery, welcome!" She said with a smile. She had lipstick on her teeth. "And you must be Ella, I've heard so many wonderful things about you and your children." My Mother seemed surprised and shook Jackie's hand with a grin. Mike couldn't take his eyes off of Jackie and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, these are my children, Mike and Aria," My Dad told her, indicating to both of us in turn. Jackie smiled warmly and Mike and ignored me completely. Fine by me.

We moved into the room as other guests arrived behind us. It was decorated lavishly and my family all gasped at the splendour. I, however, took little notice because I was trying to see past all the tables and guests and decorations to find the man of my dreams. It wasn't proving such an easy thing to do, it looked like Jackie had invited half of Hollis and most of Manhattan.

For the first time I wondered what she was planning? She obviously knew that my father would bring me and if Ezra was here, which he was going to be, what was she going to do about it? Did she know that we'd broken up last month because of her? Was she planning revenge?

My stomach swirled at the thought. Was she planning on revealing us to my parents and everybody here? I didn't half doubt it.

A waitress went by carrying a tray of champagne and I grabbed a flute without thinking, I needed to calm my nerves. The liquid had barely passed my lips before my mom grabbed it from me.

"You know the rule, Aria," she said, "Just because we let you have a drink in Iceland doesn't mean you can have it here." I frowned and looked pointedly away from her. Little did she know that I'd often have wine at dinner with Ezra and beer when we watched movies. Not to mention all the times Hanna would bring some sneaky vodka in her purse to the dances and sleepovers.

We made our way to the finger food table, poking and sniffing all the strange, posh hors d'oevures until we found something that resembled sausage rolls. This is why I liked my family, we were unashamedly average.

Just as I'd finished my own nibbles, Jackie came up to us with a woman who looked around sixty, maybe late fifties, in tow.

"Byron, Ella, I'd like to introduce you to the lecturer of English in Berkeley, Diana Fitz." Jackie looked at me when she said this, smirking slightly as if to say '_take that'. _"Oh, there's Professor White from NYU, I better go say hello. You guys talk." She sauntered off with a final, smug glance directed at me.

There was silence as for a moment as everybody digested the second name of the seemingly oblivious woman.

I elbowed my Dad which seemed to wake him from his stupor.

"Yes, yes, hello, nice to meet you," he said warmly, shaking Diana's hand, "I'm Professor Byron Montgomery and this is my wife, Ella, and these are my children, Aria and Mike."

Diana looked at me and I could have sworn I saw shock cross her Ezra-blue eyes before it was gone. Had he told her about me?

"Lovely to meet you," she said, "Do you lecture at Hollis?"

As they chatted briefly about the college, I took the opportunity to survey her. She looked so like Ezra, her eyes, her jaw, her straight nose and curly black hair. This wasn't how I was supposed to be introduced to his mother for the first time.

"So is Ezra Fitz your son?" My Dad asked, cutting Diana off from what she'd been saying about how Hollis was somewhere she'd always regarded as having brilliant arts programmes. Something she'd learnt from her son, no doubt.

Diana blinked a few times, something Ezra often did when faced with a sudden question he wasn't sure how to answer, before looking at me. I shook my head slightly, hoping that if she did recognise me she'd realise that I didn't want her to say anything.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have no idea who you're talking about, I have a daughter named Aisling but I'm afraid that's all." I breathed a sigh of relief as Ezra's mother lied through her teeth for me. I wondered why? Did this mean that he was here?

"Sorry," my Dad apologised with a blush. He grabbed my Mother's hand and made a hasty exit towards the bar. Mike shrugged and followed, looking like he wanted to be at home in bed as opposed to here. I couldn't blame him, really. If there was no chance of seeing Ezra then I wouldn't want to be here either.

When it was just Diana and I alone, we both grinned.

"I don't know how to thank you," I told her, "They can't stand the thought of your son being with me."

She chuckled slightly, "Yes, it did seem like that. I'd rather he stayed out of jail if I can help it."

"So, is he here?" I asked, eagerly. "I really need to talk to him."

"No, he's not here," Diana told me, softly, "He's with his brother at the house. Noah's fiancé is having a small party."

I probably should have prepared myself for this disappointment. There was no halting the tears that filled my eyes. I cried too much for this man.

"But," Diana continued, "I'm sure I could give him a ring and get him to come. I'll say an old friend is here."

"You'd really do that? You don't mind that I'm... seventeen?"

She smiled warmly at me, "Sweetie, I've seen how miserable Ezra has been the past couple of weeks, of course I don't care. He's worse than when Jackie dumped him, he barely smiles anymore. When he told me about you, I could tell that he'd give anything for a second chance. And now here it is. I told him and I'll tell you, you can't help who you fall in love with."

"Thank you so much, Ms Fitz," I said with tears in my eyes, "I don't know how I can every repay you!"

"You make my son happy, that's all I could ever ask for, sweet-pea."

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><p><strong>I hope you liked! And I'll try to have the rest up before the 19th! <strong>

**REVIEW WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!**

**Oh, and to all my Irish readers (I think there's a few) if you get KISS look out for me next month! I'm doing a story on Cyberbullying and a photoshoot next week! **

**Until next time, keep your friends close (but your enemies closer), **

**Katie xx**


	21. Happiness

**Well, this is it guys. The end! I hope you've enjoyed reading 'Old Flame' as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Seriously, I am so proud of this story and am more greatful for all of your feeback than I can possibly say! So, please, for the final time: read and enjoy!**

**Katie**_** x**_

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><p>"<em>Happiness is a firework sitting on my headboard,<br>Happiness was never mine to hold,  
>Careful child, light the fuse and get away,<br>Because happiness throws a shower of sparks."_

* * *

><p>Ezra was on his way. Diana, my new favourite person, had rung him and arranged the whole thing. I was really going to see him. He was really going to see me. We were really going to see each other. All we had to do was make sure that my parents saw neither of us. (And herein lays the problem).<p>

It was nearing 11.15pm and I needed to think of a way to escape my parents. It looked like Mike was my only option.

I spotted him sulking by the door and made my way over, grabbing two flutes of champagne off a waitress as they passed me by.

"Hey, little brother," I said with a smile, handing him a glass and taking a sip of my own.

"Okay, what do you want?" He asked, rolling his eyes as he accepted the flute. I opened my mouth, shocked. "You only ever call me 'little brother' when you want something or when you're drunk." He noted the empty flute and tutted, "Oh, God, you're not drunk, are you?"

"No, I'm not drunk, but I do need something, you're right," I admitted to him, "And, Mike, if you agree to help you have to promise not to say anything to anyone."

"I don't know, Aria, I mean... it's not going to tear the family apart again is it?" He looked genuinely scared and I felt awful. I'd never really given much thought to how Mike felt about everything that had happened.

His parents had split and gotten back together only to send his only sister away for having an illegal affair with her English teacher and it seemed like nobody had stopped to ask Mike how he was doing, all too preoccupied with their own problems.

And I couldn't even promise him that this wouldn't make everything worse.

"Mike, I'm so sorry that I haven't been the greatest sister to you over the last year or so and I'm even sorrier that I can't promise you that this isn't going to change things, but I need you to do this for me."

"What is it?" He asked with trepidation evident in his voice.

I looked around, making sure that my parents and Jackie weren't within ear-shot before whispering, "Ezra's coming."

"And, what do you want me to do about it? I thought you two were over."

"Mike, after they sent me away I tried to get over him, I really did. But... when I started senior year it turned out that he was my English teacher again and we got back together. I broke it off with him because of Jackie but now he's coming here and I need to see him. I don't expect you to understand but letting him go was the worst thing I've ever done in my life." My eyes were full of tears but I held Mike's gaze steadily, letting him see my desperation.

"Even worse than starting a relationship with him in the first place?" He asked, but his voice was teasing.

"So, you'll help me?" I breathed, daring to hope.

"Will you get Hanna to go to prom with me?"

I laughed, "No promises."

"Meh, it's better than nothing. Just... can I ask you one thing?"

"Sure, Mike, shoot," I said, glancing at the big clock above the bar and noting that it was now 11.31pm. He'd be here any minute.

"He didn't... force you to be with him, did he?" My eyes widened, is that what he thought?

"Oh, God, Mike, no! We met before Junior year in a bar and I didn't tell him my age!" Mike nodded and relaxed somewhat.

"Good, I just, uh, you know..."

"Mike?"

"I care about you is all. I wish you would have told me," he said the words softly, his eyes were slightly pink as if he was trying to hold back tears.

My heart broke a little, I had no idea how much my actions had hurt him, my little brother, the one I was supposed to protect.

I opened and shut my mouth a few times, at a loss of what to say.

"So, what do you need me to do?" He asked, downing his champagne and wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

* * *

><p>Mike's job was simple, distract the parents while I found Ezra and fixed things between us.<p>

"You owe me," Mike muttered as we waited behind a plant for our parents to come near.

"Yeah, yeah, date with Hanna and/or Spencer, I get it," I whispered, "Just make sure this is believable."

"Aria, please. I spend half of my time pretending to be sober, how hard can it be to do the opposite?"

I shook my head in disbelief, "No comment." A second later, our parents appeared. "Go, go, go, go, go!" I ushered Mike out from behind the plant and watched as he swaggered forward. I couldn't believe that this was the same little brother who I'd shared a room with in Iceland and who used to give me nuggies and wet-willies. At some moment in time, he'd grown up and I'd missed it. The thought alone made me want to cry.

I was such an emotional wreck tonight.

"Hey, moommmmm," he slurred, "Whaddup Daddio?" My parents looked stricken as their son swayed on the spot. He staggered to the left as if the room had suddenly tilted itself and started laughing madly.

"Ha! Ha! You guys' face is so funny! What? Never seen Mikey drunk before?" He rolled the 'r' in 'drunk' and I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from barking out a laugh.

I glanced to the left of the scene just in time to see _him_ walk through the doors. Ezra Fitz, dressed in a dark blue shirt tucked into black slacks. He was incredible.

It's funny how apt the whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" thing is. Every time I see him it's like learning to breathe again. Like that feeling you get when you break the surface of the water after thinking that the world above is out of reach, like the struggle and pain had all been worth it to resurface and breathe again.

Diana greeted him by the door and ushered him out into the courtyard. I could see the confusion on his face and smiled.

All of a sudden, however, I was nervous. What if he didn't want to get back with me? What if he'd moved on? Maybe he wouldn't want to date somebody who lived in a different state.

No. Diana said that he'd been miserable. He still loved me just like I still loved him. It was time to right a wrong that should never have been wrong in the first place.

"Aria, what are you doing behind a plant?" My mother's voice broke me out of my reverie.

My eyes widened and I grabbed her arms, turning her around so that her back was to where a very confused Ezra was standing outside.

"I was just looking for an earring," I invented, pointing at my ear.

My mother looked unconvinced, "You're wearing both your earrings."

"Yeah, I found it." She pursed her lips, a sign that she didn't believe me in the slightest. "What's up with Mike?" I asked, changing the subject. The boy in question was still creating a scene by singing "Raise Your Glass" obnoxiously loud.

"Your brother," she said, distastefully, "Appears to have helped himself to the free champagne. Can you wait here? We're going to bring him up to a room, there's no way we're driving back to Rosewood with him like this."

There's the distraction I'd been hoping for.

"Yeah, Mom, that's fine," I said back, trying to contain the grin that was threatening to erupt onto my face.

"I THINK I'M GOING TO HURL!" Mike yelled. My mom's eyes widened and she gave me a swift kiss on the forehead muttering, "Happy New Year, Baby," before helping my father escort Mike out of the room.

As soon as the coast was clear, I practically ran to the doors. My journey, was halted as Jackie stepped in my path.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" She said, folding her arms with a smirk and nodding towards the doors that my family had just exited through, "But I see right through your plan, you little whore. You're not good enough for him."

Her words stung but I forced myself to keep a straight face.

"You're just jealous, Jackie," I replied, "Jealous of what Ezra and I have, and what you'll never have with him."

She laughed coldly, "What you and Ezra have is a disgusting, vile felony. He'll get bored of you eventually and realise that you're just a pathetic, immature, slutty child, willing to sleep with her teacher just to have something to do."

"What Ezra and I have is love." My voice was weak as I argued with her. Nobody had ever spoken to me like that. Not Alison, not A, nobody.

"Please. You're nothing but a slut. I bet your parents would be so proud to know what you've been doing behind their backs, wouldn't they?"

"You can't do that, he'd get sent to jail!" I begged her to see reason, "Is that what you want, for him to never teach or be happy again? You're more selfish than I thought."

"Why you little-" I flinched backwards as she raised a hand, getting ready to slap me, when out of nowhere a hand grabbed her wrist and held her at bay.

"You lay one hand on this girl and I'll make you wish you were never born." I looked up to see my saviour, Diana, with a hard look on her face.

Jackie's angry looked mutated into fury as she wrenched her arm from Diana's grip.

"How can you be okay with this? Don't you care what your precious son has been doing with this little _child_?" There were angry tears in Jackie's eyes and I couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. Love makes you do crazy things.

"What he's done is fall in love with her, that's not a crime," Diana said calmly.

"Yes, it is! She's still in High School!"

"It's an unfortunate twist, I'll give you that," Diana agreed with a smile, "But I don't think you'd be fighting so hard to have them apart, Jackie, if you didn't see that they are completely in love. In fact, I don't think you care that she's seventeen, you just care that he's not pining after you anymore."

Jackie looked stumped, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she tried to comprehend Diana's words.

Diana patted Jackie sympathetically on the back before turning back to me.

"You go get him, Aria."

I nodded and grinned, my heart beating wildly.

"Come on, dear." I heard Diana say to Jackie, "Let's go get you a drink."

I made my way to the glass doors leading to the courtyard. I could see Ezra, he had his back turned to me, talking on his mobile to somebody. Quietly, so as not to alert him to my presence, I opened to doors and stepped out. Immediately, I wished I had taken a jacket with me – it was freezing!

"Yeah, no, I'm leaving soon... Yeah, Mom just pushed me into the courtyard without explaining why... Something about a suprise... I've been here for nearly twenty minutes...I know... Okay, Noah, see you soon...Yeah, you, too...Bye." He flipped his phone closed, sighing as he slipped it into his pocket. He looked up at the night sky and sighed.

I took a step closer to him and winced as my heels clacked against the stone ground. There was no denying my presence now.

He span around to face me and for a moment we both just stared at each other. I watched as his eyes roamed my body, as if he was trying to make out if I was real or not.

"Hello," I said, softly.

"Aria..." he breathed, taking a small step closer to me.

I ran forward suddenly and collided with his body. His arms encircled me immediately and he lifted me up, one hand going to my lower back and the other to the back of my head.

I buried my face in his neck, letting his warmth envelop me. He squeezed me tighter, so tight that it was just on the edge of painful.

"Ezra," I laughed, "I can't breathe."

He set me down immediately and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, a blush rising up his neck and flushing his cheeks.

"Sorry," he apologised, flashing me his boyish grin. "What are you doing in New York?"

"Jackie invited my family to the party," I told him, causing his eyes to widen. "I know," I said, knowing what he was thinking.,"But your mom sorted her out. She's amazing, Ezra."

He chuckled, "She is that."

We smiled at each other and it was silent once more.

"Listen, Ezra-"

"Aria, I-"

We bother laughed softly as we spoke over each other. I remembered what had happened last time I let him speak first and knew I had to make sure that didn't happen again.

"Can I go first?" I asked. He nodded and remained silent.

I took a deep breath and launched into what was probably my most important rant ever.

"Ezra, I'm sorry, so sorry. I should have trusted you and I didn't. I was just stupid and jealous and let myself be blinded by that. You're the most amazing person I've ever met and I can't believe that I let myself lose you over something like this. And I totally understand if you never want to see me again, I deserve that. But I just hope you're hearing me when I say that I never meant for any of this to happen. Sure, we're not the most conventional couple but there isn't a day goes by that I don't-"

I was cut off by the press of his lips on mine. His hands framed my face and as soon as I got my bearings, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He pulled back a moment later and leant his forehead against mine.

"Can I talk now?" He whispered, huskily. It took a lot of effort to just nod and not kiss him again.

"You're intolerable," he said, making me pull back and look at him incredulously. He grabbed my hands and led me to a bench, forcing me to sit down opposite him while never once relinquishing his grip on me. "You talk too much and never listen. You overreact to everything and your moods change so often that it makes my head spin. You pick apart everything I say and seem to enjoy arguing about anything and everything. I never know where I stand with you and I don't think I've ever met such an infuriating person in my life." I tried to pull my hands back, unable to listen to any more of what he had to say, but he held my hands firmly, not letting me sit up. Instead, I looked pointedly away. "And I love you for every one of these reasons plus more."

My head shot back around to face him and when I saw the sincerity in his eyes, my own filled with tears once more. For the first time this night, I allowed them to spill over and fall down my cheeks. He let go of my hands and carefully, as if I was made of glass, wiped the tears away.

When he was done, he rested one hand on the side of my neck and with the other hooked a finger under my chin, lifting it so that our lips were only inches apart.

We could hear the crowd inside, beginning to count down to a new year.

"TEN, NINE, EIGHT..."

"Aria..." he whispered, "Never, ever leave me again."

"FOUR, THREE..."

"Never, ever," I vowed with a whisper, leaning forward to close the gap between us.

"...ONE!"

And as our lips met, fireworks, both real and metaphorical, erupted around us, showering the world in sparks. This was a new year, a new beginning, and whatever came our way, we'd face it together for this is where we belonged, this was happiness.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm really picky about endings so I'd appreciate some feedback on this one! <strong>

**I may possibly pop back into this story over the year but I'm going to be super busy with my Leaving Cert so no promises! **

**Thanks again for everything,**

**Katie x**


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